The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters
by JuneSummers
Summary: Alter Waters is the most prestigious school in all of Britain, Edd and his little brother Jim were lucky enough to get in through a scholarship. But surrounded by the rich and the Prince Kevin himself will it all prove too much for Edd to handle? Kink, BDSM, lots of gay sex. LOTS OF GAY SEX and drama and fluff and amazingness.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Disclaimer, I don't own anything, it all belongs to the people who made eene, except for a couple of OC's like nat who belongs to Acid.  
Warnings: This will have violence, swearing and sex.  
Hope you like it guys, remember to review**

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 1**

Alter Waters was one of the most prestigious schools in Britain housing some of the most noble families, including royalty, and the most intellectual of minds. The school was almost 400 square metres of architecture plus however large the elegant gardens and sports fields and centre were. It had several stories with a very castle-esque feel to it. When Edd had first seen the school, it was from a distance, and he hadn't realised just how large the establishment actually was but he had still been rather impressed.

Edd wasn't any noble, his blood was positively commoner in every way, shape and form. He was one of those brains that got in on scholarships, him and his younger brother Jim. Edd had helped his brother study for his exams and they both managed to get over ninety per cent in every subject, one hundred in most as well. And so here they both were, Jim significantly smaller than Edd was sitting in close to him, obviously feeling apprehensive about the new environment they were about to subject themselves to. Edd gave all the support he could with his smaller frame and rue'd his genes, which had to be for the thousandth time, that he wasn't a little larger in stature.

Jim was only eleven months younger than Edd and so they were in the same grade, but his brother was smaller, even than Edd. And where Edd had the advantage of being tall, Jim was barely 140 cm tall. In fact, he looked nowhere near his age of fifteen, sixteen in nine months, he looked closer to twelve, or even ten. It was something that Jim had to deal with his entire life, small stature ran in Edd's family but Jim had got it worse than he had. He would constantly get bullied and even assaulted, by the larger, more barbaric of his schoolmates. His face and body were covered in bandaids or bandages from where he had been cut or bruised in an argument. Edd always tried to intervene and keep Jim safe but he had never had much luck protecting his younger sibling, thus the gene rueing that Edd found himself constantly doing.

As the tree's passed in the reflection of the window, Edd placed his hand on top of Jim's which had bunched up into a fist on the leather seat next to him. Edd smiled a reassuring smile and Jim smiled back, he hoped they'd be okay.

Feeling the leather of the seats as his hand left it's station, he remembered, suddenly, that he was travelling in a limo and felt himself being, perhaps stupidly, excited again. He had never been in a limo before, of course he hadn't, he was poor. But now he was being taken to school in one. Alter was a boarding school and the two boys' luggage had to be taken with them but even still, Edd hardly thought a limousine was necessary. Of course he wasn't complaining, limos were wonderful machines and the interior had been crafted to be aesthetically pleasing, Eddward could easily appreciate it and he did. It would also likely make him feel less distant from the other students attending the school as he was sure ordering a limo to take them to school would be something they'd not think twice of, his clothes would be ostracizing enough without him having to worry about his vehicle causing further question to his financial integrity.

As was explained before, the school looked significantly larger up close. The main building of the school was surrounded by a large brick wall that the top of the building could still be seen over, they had reached the gate that would allow them to pass beyond it and into the courtyard where he and Jim would exit and be shown to their rooms.

"Edd, I'm scared." Jim said in his soft and shaking voice. His big brown eyes shimmered as he looked into Edd's cyan ones. Edd sighed.

"Me too Jim." He replied. "But it is at the utmost importance that we attend this school, for our educations sake."

Even though Jim was his brother, Edd didn't really know how to comfort him in his fears, after all they were shared and there wasn't much Edd could do to protect him or change the situation. So he hoped that reminding Jim of the situation they were in and the importance of it would give him the incentive to build courage within himself. Still, Jim looked scared and Edd felt an unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach when he looked at his brothers face. He did all he could, covering the smaller hand in his own once more before the car came to a slow stop.

Edd got out as the door was opened for him and Jim followed, the driver said. "Your bags will be taken to your rooms, Felix, the gatekeeper, will show you to your rooms.

Jim grinned and said, "You have a gatekeeper here? That's just like hogwarts, how cool."

The driver looked down and smiled at Jim but Felix, who had just appeared next to him didn't look as elated. Edd wondered if he was pretentious and held his nose up at the idea that a person might go to a school without a gatekeeper or perhaps he was just bitter about his job. If he was, Edd thought he shouldn't have chosen it. He never understood that, you had a choice of what job you wanted to do so if you aren't happy doing what it is you do, it is your own fault. If you tried for something different but didn't make it, Edd thought, that was your fault too, hard work was necessary to get what you want.

Felix looked at the two through his devitalized eyes and said in a low, almost bored sounding voice. "Follow me." The boys complied.

The inside of the school was simply breathtaking. High arching ceilings and luscious red carpets with intricate golden patterns. The walls were stone and paintings hung in the entrance hall along with some other decorations like pot-plants. It was all very rich looking and Edd began to wonder how much it all costed, only what he had already seen would cost at least a hundred thousand. The further they got in the worse it got, Edd literally felt like it was more money than he was worth. Jim on the other hand seemed to be past his anxiety and looked around in awe at everything.

They were taken past a couple of classrooms before they reached a stairwell that lead them to their dorm on the second floor. There's was the second boys dormitory, one of four. The school also doubled as a university and the dorms for the boys attending tertiary education had their own dorms as well which were located in a separate block. Edd had done his research on the school before coming here as he planned to continue to attend this school through his university years as well.

They reached a room labelled with the number twelve and Felix stopped, saying. "Now I'll drop you off here, Eddward, is it?"

"Yes."

"Your brother will be coming with me, he'll stay in block 1"

Jim suddenly became worried again and so did Edd. He hadn't suspected that they would be separated and cursed himself for not foreseeing it.

"Wait, why am I going to another block?" Jim asked anxiously, holding onto Edd's side.

"It's a space problem, don't worry, most of your classes are still the same, you'll be fine."

Edd pulled Jim away from his body by his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "You'll be fine." he said. "I'm sure your roommate will be lovely, even if he is not me. Like Felix said, we will remain in the same classes so you have nothing to feel fearful of. You know where my room is now so it will be easy enough for you to come find me if you require assistance."

Jim stared back for a moment, remaining silent before he finally nodded. "Okay." he managed weakly and hung his head as Edd straightened his back, looking at Felix. The older man came around then and opened his door with a key that he then placed in Edd's hands. As the door swung open he stepped in and said, "This is your new roommate, his names, Eddward, be nice."

Edd came into the room then, sparing one last glance back to a very frightened looking Jim. The room inside was pretty fancy as well, the other two boys had set it up with a television and a couch along with three beds, one of which, Edd assumed was his own. One of the boys was rather larger in stature, his face was square and his eyes were narrow but friendly looking. The other was short and stout, face rounder and eyes mischievous. His hair was slicked back save for a few stray hairs and Eddward found that he looked quite ridiculous, he wondered if that was a normal hairstyle for the rich, it didn't flatter this boy's features at all, but he kept his opinions to himself.

"Yeah, yeah Felix." The boy with the slicked hair said as Edd ventured further into the room.

Felix said to Edd, "Your luggage should arrive soon, I'll take your brother to his room." Edd nodded and then the door was shut.

At first it was really rather awkward. Edd had no idea what he should say or how he should act and he ended up just standing there and doing nothing and looking quite out of place. He scratched the back of his head, just under his black beanie in nervousness and looked from boy to boy nervously.

Finally the one with the slicked back hair said, "So your name is Eddward?"

"Please, call me Edd." Edd said more out of habit to hearing his full name then anything and immediately worried about whether he'd find it a too forward gesture of friendship. He hoped not.

"I'm Eddy," Eddy said.

"We have such similar names" Edd gasped.

Eddy smirked and said. "What's more is that my buddy here." He gestured to the other boy in the room, "His name is Ed. E-D"

"You mean our names are the same! Wow, what a coincidence." Edd said smiling a nervous, gap-toothed smile. "However mine is spelt with two 'd's. Still, how will we distinguish between each other, that may become confusing."

"My thoughts exactly." Eddy replied with a smirk on his face. "Well there can only be one Ed, so we're going to have to give you a nickname. How's double d sound to you?"

Edd shook his head and a look of uncomfort crossed his face. "I'm unsure I am exactly comfortable with that-"

"Great, then it's settled." Eddy interrupted. "Ed, say hello to our new friend."

"Hi double dee!" Ed said and Edd was surprised to find that his voice sounded well, there was no better way to describe it than, stupid. Edd felt guilty immediately after thinking it but it was true. His facial expressions and his face looked, out of it, as if he wasn't entirely there.

"Ed is a little stupid," Eddy said and Edd was mortified. "But don't worry about him, he's harmless."

Edd wondered if it was normal social protocol to insult one's friends in this academy. He hoped that it didn't happen to him too often, if people intended him good will than he would much rather them praise him or something. Taking one last glance at Eddy's mischievous smirk, he knew he was in for a long ride.

* * *

The first few weeks were the hardest. Eddy seemed not to care that Edd dressed in what some of the other students had called "commoner clothes" and Ed seemed ignorant to the idea of social difference completely but the others, namely the ones that had insulted his clothe's worth, didn't give him such an easy time. He had been discriminated against for his lack of money since his first class. He was sitting next to Jim and trying to find out whether he had survived his induction to the system before the class started when they were called a number of profanities and terms that essentially equated to "You're poor and I'm not, therefor you deserve harsh treatment."

It wasn't something either one were unfamiliar with, though for different reasons, they had experienced discrimination before, Edd worried that they may start experiencing the kinds of discrimination they had in their old public school as well as the money issue. If that were to happen, Edd didn't think he'd quite enjoy himself as much as he wanted to, but he wouldn't allow it to interfere with his education, and he hoped that he could help Jim do the same.

Jim had apparently got it easier than Edd had. On the night he he moved in, Eddy wanted him to do all kinds of things to "prove his worth" like drink unusual concoctions Edd didn't even want to ponder the ingredients of or steal Ed's sister's cat, which he ended up doing against all of his better judgment and struggling. It was a rough night and Edd had gotten to sleep rather late, he almost didn't want to return to his room. Apparently Jim had two roommates. A boy named Nat that Jim had explained was rather eccentric but kept to himself, and another, rather large and, according to Jim, terrifying boy nicknamed Plank. Edd didn't know why anyone would want to be nicknamed Plank but apparently it had to do with the way he would sit and say nothing as well as referencing to his stature.

According to Jim, his night was relatively quiet. When he first entered, Nat had called him cute, which Jim was far too excited about and the two of them had a short conversation but other then that it was quiet and his roommates let him settle in without any hassles. Nat had commented on Jim's lime green woolen jumper that had one too many string's hanging loose but it wasn't nastily, it was inquisitive. He was asking if Jim had gotten in by scholarship or not basically. Edd was glad that Jim hadn't had too much trouble, but at the same time he really hated that he was stuck with two idiots.

The rest of the first week wasn't any easier for Edd. He quickly became disliked by many of the other students, not because of his social standing, but because he was affiliated with Ed and Eddy. Apparently the two were known for causing quite a stir and they had made themselves many enemies because of Eddy's pranks. Edd wasn't surprised there, nor did he blame them but he wished they wouldn't lump him in with them when they only shared a room. He had been yelled at, had been told that he was making himself look bad enough as it was without being friends with "those two" and he had been threatened as well. He was beginning to wonder if being friends with them was worth it.

Then he'd find himself endeared to Ed and his empty head and even Eddy's childish pranks sometimes brought a small smile to his face, especially when it was to get someone back for making fun of Edd. Even though they were trouble, they had warmed up to him easily, and unlike the rest of the school they weren't discriminating against him because of his lack of money. That made them worthwhile, Edd thought. And they had learnt not to interfere with his studies after he had blown a fuse at them for doing it too often. He'd been having a bad day in general so it wasn't entirely out of the blue, but now Eddy would keep his games to a minimum when Edd was trying to finish some homework.

Eventually Edd and Jim got into the swing of things, it seemed that Jim hadn't really made friends as he and Edd would spend time together alone most of the time on lunch breaks or before Edd returned to his room. But just like Edd, Jim had made pleasant acquaintances with Nat in his bedroom through small conversations before sleep. Jim was a lot more shy than Edd so he knew it would take the boy a little more time, Edd was glad he had met someone though, because he had quickly found out that it was necessary to have them in this school.

It was about his third week when he finally met him. He had known that the prince had attended this school before he even got there but he had kept the subject out of his mind when he was adjusting to the new way of life or his studies. The idea of a prince being in the same school as him should make him feel strange or excited but Edd only really felt bitter. He knew how the simple rich kids treated him so he had no doubts how a prince would. It made Edd angry that people judged him on the lining of his pocket rather than his personality or intellect. He had come from a poor area, sure but he had managed to get into Alter Waters, the most prestigious school in all of Britain by himself. He thought everyone should admire himself and Jim for that, but they didn't because they were more concerned about what family they came from.

It was his first physical education session since he had gotten there. Edd had managed to avoid it for the first two weeks but as much as he despised the slightest idea of the subject, it was a mandatory class to take and he was eventually coerced into going by the headmistress, who had turned out to be a lovely woman, surprisingly. In any case he had to go, but he wouldn't be happy about it.

He had to remind himself not to be mortified by the nakedness of the men around him in the changing rooms or even worse, find himself staring. He remembered that most boys found it entirely acceptable to strip off in front of each other as indecent as that was. But he ended up making himself obvious by headbutting a locker as he walked into it.

"Double d, what's the matter with you?" Eddy had asked.

Edd worried but was able to save himself with "I don't want to get changed with all these people around!"

Eddy gave him a funny look for a while and then said "Yeah, I hear ya. It's a little gay but you get used to it."

Edd wanted to shoot himself in the head. It being "gay" was the least of his worries. Why did Eddy have to be so crass? In the end though he gave in to that too, despite his insecurities. He got changed, rather embarrassingly and got out in time, with the rest of the students.

Edd had sat down next to Ed and Eddy as Jim was in a different class, and looked at the instructor begrudgingly. He was a burly man with chest hair that poked out disgustingly from the top of his shit and the expression of a misanthrope that he wore constantly. Edd found him rather intimidating and hoped that the interaction he had to have with him was kept to a minimum. He had been trying to find some other place to stare rather than the instructor when he saw him.

He wore a red baseball cap that had been turned backwards with spikes of his red hair poking out from the hole place just above the velcro straps. On anyone else it would have looked stupid but it somehow managed to look fine on this boy. It wouldn't be the look that Edd would send him off to the prom with, but the very fact that it didn't make him look ridiculous and hood meant something. When his face turned a little more in Edd's direction, he saw that the boy's eyes were green, but from his distance that's all he could work out, his lips were blushing and red, full but not overly as they hung open slightly. His jawline was strong and Edd's eyes trailed down his neck to his collarbones and gulped.

He turned to Eddy patting him on the shoulder. "Who is that?" He asked

Eddy turned to look and see who Edd was talking about and when he did his brows crossed angrily. "That's Kevin or should I say prince kevin." Eddy's voice was dripping with contempt when he said prince. "I know he's a prince and all and you probably want to say hi because of that, but leave him alone, that guy is an asshole and he isn't worth your time, Double d."

Edd thought that was about accurate, he had suspected as much and Eddy had just confirmed his deductions. There was no way he'd be interested in talking with the boy even if he was, and Edd indulged himself when he admitted, that he was rather attractive. That didn't matter, he didn't want any more trouble to disturb him and his studies. He lifted a hand up to adjust his beanie on his head that he refused to take off even now and he paid his attention to the teacher.

The instructor had made them run laps for the first day, this was the exact reason Edd hated physical education. Laps were cheap and unjustified labour. Nothing was learnt from running laps and even if the main purpose of physical education classes was to force students to exercise, it was "physical education" not "physical exertion". Edd was feeling fed up when he returned to the changing rooms. He almost didn't care about the amount of boys that would be around him while he changed he was so furious. He stared at the ground as he walked, tired and irritable when suddenly.

"Oof" Edd collided with the floor faster than he knew what was happening. The pain in his rear caused his eye's to close for a while before he opened them and stared up to see what it was, or rather who it was that he had run into. Edd's heart sank.

Standing in front of him and, idly, Edd noticed that the boys crotch was eerily close to his face, was Kevin, the prince. He was shirtless and Edd couldn't help but noticed how defined his muscles were and tried to stop the flush that came to his cheeks.

"Shit dude, sorry-" Kevin had begun when Ed had suddenly stood up interrupting him with.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention, I was at fault, I will not allow it to happen again." He shut his eyes as he spoke frantically and felt slightly dizzy as he began to worry. He did not want to make enemies with a prince; he did not want to make enemies with an attractive prince. He was just about to run away when he opened his eyes and he saw Kevin's up close.

They were green, like he had seen before but they were so beautiful, lime in the centre with flecks of yellow extending to a forest coloured outer ring. The light reflection that made his eyes shine was the cherry on the top of the cake, the eyes almost seemed to be voids or black holes, sucking him in. He felt like the floor had suddenly been swept out from under his feet when suddenly, reality came crashing down around him and he was standing in front of Kevin, the prince, with a dumbfounded expression on his face, likely looking like quite the fool. He wanted to die.

Edd ran to his bag and left the changing rooms as quickly as he could, being extremely careful not to run into any more people. He hadn't changed back but at this point, but he didn't care, he could change in his room for christ sakes, he just needed to get away from that man. One more second - if Kevin had caught on to what was happening, then Edd would be dead right now, as literally dead as he wished he was now, metaphorically.

Again, Edd rued his small stature, and the nature of this school. All he wanted was to study, was that so much to ask? Why did he have to run into people that would hate on him for something he couldn't control and that he was actively trying to fix? He just wanted to get on with his studies so that he wouldn't have to worry about people looking down on him, he'd be held in high regards with a diploma. That's all Edd wanted, he couldn't wish for that moment to come any sooner.

Edd didn't attend any more classes for the rest of that day but it was okay because he spent his time working a week ahead of everyone else. He drowned himself in work and then went to bed early, before Ed and Eddy got back from their own classes.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hey guys, because this got a relatively good reception, I have another chapter for you, hope you like it. It has a sex scene in it between Kevin and Nat so if you don't like that pairing just skip over it, I'll make up for it with lots of Kevedd and Nave later. M because of smut and swearing, Review please mate.**

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 2**

Edd was doing a master job at avoiding Kevin ever since the incident. He figured, if he never saw the boy, he could never give Edd any trouble and therefore Edd's life would continue on peacefully. Every now and then Edd would spot Kevin in a hallway and would have to hastily turn a corner or jump behind Ed in order to hide from him. Eddy had told Edd that it was great that Edd had seen the truth about Kevin rather than ogling him like everyone else did, but that he shouldn't hide from him. Edd begged to differ, his tactics of avoiding a confrontation with the prince were entirely credible and justified in his opinion and nothing Eddy could say would change his mind.

But it seemed that Edd's persistence at not being seen by the much larger, much stronger boy had began to get on Eddy's nerves. Edd had no idea why, perhaps Eddy did not like boys who were submissive? Eventually one day during sport, Eddy had said while they were running laps again, "Why don't you just man up and tell the guy you don't like him."

Edd wanted to say "Eddy, the problem isn't that I don't like him. The problem is that I do like him and find him ridiculously attractive and I ran into him in the changerooms all shirtless with water running down his chest and I stared wistfully into his eyes and I fear that he has figured out that I am gay and am attracted to him and that province will coerce him to quickly divorce my head from it's neck. Besides all that it is incredibly stupid that I am even so affiliated with hhis aesthetics seeing as I barely know anything about him nor have I known him for very long, so I am avoiding him in the hopes that both of us will forget about each other." But there was no way in hell he'd say that. Instead he settled with, "I abhor violence Eddy and I would like to avoid a confrontation at all costs."

Eddy rolled his eyes. "You have to stick up for yourself, Double d. What did he do to you anyway? You were all curious about him and now you hide whenever he comes near ya. We can get him back for whatever it was, he wasn't giving you a hard time for being poor was he?"

Edd was glad that Eddy cared about him but he was frustrated that he couldn't just keep to himself. Edd was unable to explain the situation to Eddy without revealing other secrets that he was sure Eddy would disapprove of. He already had a hard enough time, he didn't want to have to avoid both Kevin and Eddy and any other boy who decided it wasn't worth being around him.

"Eddy I appreciate the concern, but I would like to leave things as they are. I am fine."

Eddy opened his mouth to say more but to Edd's surprise it was the other Ed that interrupted him. "Listen to Double dee, Eddy."

Edd gave the larger boy a smile, he was glad at least someone was on his side. Eddy sighed and said "Fine, do what you like." He said it in a huff but Edd picked up on the sarcasm there. It seemed that for now, Eddy would let it be and Edd was glad of that.

It had been five weeks since Edd had started attending the school and two since he had began to avoid Kevin and things were looking up. Eventually he became more comfortable and less worried that if he did accidently walk past Kevin that he'd get jumped. In fact he was able to do it multiple times. Just as long as Kevin wasn't looking in his direction, he could walk past with relative ease. He was getting the feeling that Kevin didn't actually care about what happened between them. And then it dawned on him and Edd's ego took a quick plunge into the deep end.

"Jim I am such a fool!" Edd wailed in self pity to his younger brother who tried to hide how amused he was. "Why should a prince care what I do? I've been hiding from him all this time and he hasn't paid me a second mind. I am the epitome of all stupidity."

"It isn't that bad Edd, you big drama queen." Jim's voice was soft as always. "Just stop avoiding him then."

Edd nodded. "I suppose you are right, Jim. I have no reason to continue my avoidance of Kevin, as he has no reason to care about our little encounter. I just wish I would have seen the truth earlier, it could have saved me a lot of hassle." Edd sighed and took a sip of his apple juice, the kind with far too much sugar in it that he only allowed himself when his anger made him lose a little bit of his rationale. "In any case, how is life treating you, Jim?"

Jim smiled big. "Great, my classes are a lot easier now that you have explained a couple things to me and Nat and I are becoming good friends. Did you know apparently he is friends with the prince? Have you ever seen them together?"

Edd shook his head. "Jim, I have never actually seen this Nat, I wouldn't know if I had seen them together."

Jim frowned. "You haven't? Well I'll have to introduce the two of you. Can you come to my dorm tonight? Do you have any homework to do?"

"No, Jim. Meeting your roommates should be possible tonight."

"Great."

At the end of his classes, Edd had some time to kill as he sat in his room. He pondered what he should wear, of course he hadn't much that looked barely passable to these rich kids but should he try and look nice anyway, or was that unnecessary? He had never actually met Jim's friends before, the two had always just stayed with each other in lower school but now in the short five weeks that they had been attending this academy, they had already began to drift a significant amount. Edd, of course, was happy that Jim was meeting other people but he couldn't shake the strange feeling in his chest that Jim no longer needed him.

He shook his head. No, it was perfectly fine for Jim to have comrades other than his brother, after all Edd had Ed and Eddy. It was silly for Edd to be thinking of such things. When Eddy returned from his classes Edd informed him that he would not be home that night and the reasons why before he headed off to the showers to get ready.

At first, the prospect of sharing a showering area with a bunch of other people, regardless of whether they got separate cubicles or not, made Edd slightly weary. He liked to be alone while grooming himself and even if the stalls covered him from the others, it made him feel very self conscious. He had also developed a habit of singing horribly out of tune in the shower back at home which he could no longer practice with the other students showering as well. He had gotten used to it now though and so he quickly washed himself and got dressed before making his way down to the first dormitory in order to go see Jim and meet this, Nat.

When he reached the door he hesitated before he knocked, he knew he wasn't good in new social situations and had to trust that the connection he had with Jim would make the night easier to get through, so taking a deep breath he gave three short knocks. The door opened.

"Come in, Edd." Jim greeted him at the door which reassured Edd somewhat and he entered a nervous smile placed on his lips.

Edd found that the interior to Jim's room was quite similar to his own, they had two bunk beds however and apparently room for one more if ever there need be. Where Eddy's tv was in his room, a bookshelf stood in Jim's. Edd was beginning to wish that they had swapped rooms, these people seemed far more similar to him then Ed and Eddy were.

A boy with dyed green hair, that was spiked up with hair gel at the front, approached him. He had a few piercings in his ears and wore a button up shirt under a jumper that looked rather commoner to Edd but found that it cost over three hundred dollars and was made of pure silk when he inquired about it later. He smiled at Edd and Edd managed a weak smile back.

Jim smiled and said in his cute voice. "This is Nat, Edd."

Nat held his hand out and Edd took it nervously, aware in the back of his mind of all the germs that they may be transferring. Nat said, "So this is the infamous Double d, you're just as cute as your little brother."

Edd noted that Nat was either an open and natural flirt or he was up to something. "Why am I infamous, and where did you hear that sobriquet?"

Nat smiled. "The nickname spread along with some other rumors. You came here and topped every class you attended in just four weeks, it's bound to get people talking."

Edd was unaware that he had gotten the school talking. It wasn't like he was approached for it or anything, the only contact he had had outside of his roommates and Jim had been abusive, and Eddy didn't seem to know anything about it. However, when he pondered the idea, he supposed it would be normal for that kind of thing to make social headlines, it made Edd feel slightly important for a moment, just a moment.

"I was unaware of the rumors." Edd said.

Nat nodded. "I heard that you were really shy. That's what Kev said anyway. So I'm not surprised nobody's told you about them."

Edd's eyes widened. "Kevin was talking of me?" Edd told himself to stop thinking about it, getting his hopes up now was stupid. It was likely all arrogant speculation and gossip about him anyway.

"Yeah, he said he bumped into you and ever since people have been asking him what you're like."

Edd couldn't believe it, people would rather approach a prince in inquiry of his person than come see him about it. It made him feel oddly powerful but he tried to push those thoughts out of his mind as he returned his gaze to Nat. People were curious about him and he supposed it was only natural, but they'd achieve so much more if they just spoke to him and got to know him a little better.

"I'm sure if people came to me they wouldn't have to see Kevin about it. I don't see why they refrain."

Nat looked at him and shrugged. "It's because you're new and nobody knows you. You seem quiet but nobody knows what you're capable of because nobody knows anything about your family. In aristocratic society, people will have preconceptions about you based on your family, but seeing as your's is a normal family with no reputation to it's name, people are nervous, they don't know what to expect."

Edd had never really thought of the differences in the social construct of the rich to the poor in such a light. He supposed it made sense, even if it was a bitter opinion, he assumed that it would be hard for these aristocrats to trust each other. But Edd wasn't going to judge them on their last name or the amount of funds their parents had in a bank back at home, they had nothing to fear.

"I understand, but that could be easily changed if they just spoke to me. I find their logic flawed."

Nat gave a little chuckle. "I think I agree with you, Edd. You seem like a great guy."

Jim was ecstatic that Edd's reception was well received. He and Nat got along fine and even though the only words they exchanged were hello's, Plank seemed to like him too. Edd was happy that he had met them and understood why Jim had become affiliated with them. Nat had a sharp tongue but it seemed he had a big heart. He was sarcastic and flirty but Edd had decided that he liked him. Plank didn't say much and it was almost frightening to see him sitting in the corner with a blank expression on his face but he and Jim seemed to have some kind of connection. They would look at each other every now and then and Plank would give him a nod in return for Jim's smile.

Edd later found out it was because Plank had saved him. "I was getting bullied by some upperclassmen." Jim had said. "They were making fun of me because of my size and one of them was really coming down on me. They started hitting me and I yelled at them to stop but they wouldn't. That's when Plank came and saved me. He pushed one out of the way and the rest ran after they saw him, then he carried me back to our room."

Hearing the story Edd was definitely glad. He had no muscles or ability to help Jim in such situations, his only talent lied in his brain. So he was glad that Plank was able to look after him, very glad. Jim had found some great companions, he hoped they stayed friends, if Jim wasn't spending time with him, Edd wanted him to spend it with these two.

He tried not to think of Kevin on his walk back to his dorm. Sure, Kevin had mentioned him, and he was probably hearing about Edd a lot because of all the rumors but that didn't mean he'd treat Edd any less harshly. He was probably bitter about the fact that everyone was talking about Edd and that the spotlight had been stolen from him. Edd had to keep his mind off of Kevin. He should be happy that Jim had made some nice friends and think about preparing for his classes tomorrow, not Kevin. Thinking about the prince would just be a hindrance that Edd didn't need.

* * *

Kevin had a headache. Every day for the past two weeks all anybody was ever talking about was Edd fucking Marion, or "Double d". More like "Double dork", the guy had topped all classes in a matter of weeks. But it wasn't just that that got Kevin thinking about him, it wasn't the fact that he was a commoner or that he wore that stupid fucking Beanie on his head, Edd was the cutest fucking dork, Kevin had ever seen.

When he had run into the kid in the change rooms he had seen his face up close. His mouth hung slightly open as he stared up at Kevin in awe, his blue-as-the-fucking-ocean eyes shined wide and big and his cheeks were dusted with a slight blush. It was all Kevin could do to stop himself getting a boner right then and there. He thought the kid might say something, break out into another nervous stutter but then he ran away. Kevin must of scared him, like he always did because he always had an angry expression on his face. It wasn't his fault, he was a prince but he didn't want to be, he wished he was a commoner just like the dork. That way he could play baseball and wear dirty clothes and not worry about appearances and people talking to him all the time for no reason and having all these responsibilities and fuck! He didn't ask for this, he didn't want it, he didn't need it. But then here comes this kid, cute as fuck with the life he wanted and all he could think about was how much he wanted to have sex with him of course he owuld be angry.

But soon enough he didn't even have the energy to be angry at him for throwing his life into turmoil like he had because all of it was wasted on fantasies of him wearing aprons or large football jerseys as Kevin fucked him into a locker, hearing him call his name out and - fuck, Kevin was hard again. He stared at the bulge in his pants and groaned. He didn't just want to jerk off again, he needed something more or he felt like he was going to burst. He wished he could just fuck the kid and get it over and done with but it wasn't that simple, anybody else would sell their soul to have a chance to get it on with Kevin, but Edd was obviously different. Kevin had even seen the guy deliberately avoid him, and he was friends with that Eddy who Kevin knew hated him, so what could he do?

Edd probably wasn't even gay too. There was no possible way for him to fuck Edd now but his erection was still standing strong and he needed stared at his phone as it sat on his chest of drawers, seemingly calling his name. If he wanted to, he could call him. Kevin knew he'd come, and it'd just be a quick fuck, to release his pent up tension. Could he...?

Without thinking of it further he picked up his phone and punched in the number to call Nat. Nat answered.

"I haven't heard from you in a while sweetcheeks, what's up?" The sound of Nat's flirtatious voice was almost infuriating in his state of arousal.

Kevin growled. "Come to my room now, I need you."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while and Kevin began to fear that Nat would say no, the other boy knew exactly what Kevin wanted and probably why, Kevin wouldn't put it past Nat to say no just in spite of him let alone the fact that he fucking knew better. Kevin realised quite suddenly that it was a stupid idea.

"Okay, I'll be over." And Kevin was more relieved than he should've been.

Kevin didn't bother changing into anything seductive and when Nat appeared at his door, he saw that he hadn't either. Kevin didn't bother saying anything, he just grabbed Nat firmly by his wrist as he pulled him inside, closed the door and locked it, then pushed Nat up against it and kissed him roughly.

Nat made a gasping sound as he felt his back slam into the door hardly and Kevin's lips press against his own as he felt his arms being lifted above his head by Kevin's. He knew that Kevin liked rough sex, he always had, and he knew what he was getting into when he came here but he could help but dislike it. The way he felt powerless with just one touch, they had broken up a long time ago and yet Nat still did things like this to please Kevin. He felt stupid especially because he suspected he was just acting in Edd's place but even still. Somehow, he still wanted to do it, if it'd make Kevin happy, he felt like such an idiot.

But how could Kevin become so attracted to Edd with just one glance, it didn't make any sense. Why Edd and not him? What was it that Edd had that Nat didn't? But his thout's were quickly interrupted as Kevin's knee slid in between Nat's legs,brushing against his crotch as Kevin pressed more of himself up against the green-haired boy. Leaving his lips, Kevin began to suck and bite at Nat's neck in all the places he knew Nat was sensitive, causing him to gasp and lung forward involuntarily wrapping his arms around the larger male.

Usually there would be dirty talk but it seemed Kevin wasn't planning on it today, nor was he in the mood for foreplay as he all but ripped Nat's shirt off of his body, throwing it on the floor. "No blowjobs, I just want to fuck you." Kevin whispered into Nat's ears and Nat had to pretend that it didn't turn him on as much as it did.

Kevin pulled him off of the wall and nearly threw him onto the ground but Nat didn't mind, to be honest he too liked the rough sex that he and Kevin had. He got on his hands and knees like he knew Kevin wanted and felt something wet and slick enter him. Kevin's finger was slender and didn't give Nat much pleasure by itself but both of them knew it was stupid to have sex without preparation. The lube was cold as it trickled down Nat and Kevin added some extra fingers, causing him to make disgruntled moaning sounds.

Kevin had his eyes shut as he searched inside Nat with his fingers, he was imagining that it was Edd beneath him, wearing only an apron like he had in his other fantasies. If he had time, he might of even made Nat wear one, but that might of been too much to ask given the circumstances. After he had been fingering Nat with three fingers for a while and he thought the boy was sufficiently stretched, he put a condom on and pushed slowly inside.

Nat gasped and Kevin released a relieved moan. It had been so long, and the tight feeling and the warmth of fucking Nat was something he had realised he had missed, more then that, he imagined those big cyan eyes beneath him instead and Kevin thought he couldn't be any harder.

He began thrusting and got lost in a fantasy of fucking Edd and imagining what he'd look like without his hat on and his gapped teeth as he moaned loud and pressed his ass into Kevin's crotch in urgency of being fucked. He didn't even think about the actual boy beneath him, writhing under his ministrations as he pounded into that bundle of nerves that made him cry with pain and pleasure. It was almost second nature to Kevin now that they had been fucking for so long, he knew every way to make Nat go crazy, but he pretended that it wasn't Nat, that he knew how to make Edd cry in pleasure and see white.

Kevin came with a loud moan shortly after Nat had done himself, spilling his cum on the floor and falling flat on his stomach in exhaustion.

* * *

It was when Nat was sliding his clothes back on with a solemn expression on his face that Kevin began to feel guilty. He knew he probably shouldn't have done that, if it wasn't before it was obvious now that Nat still had feelings for him. But if that was true why did he decide to come here? He must of known what Kevin wanted, the fucking idiot.

Kevin reached out despite the fact that Nat was halfway across the room and then dropped his arm. "H-hey, Nat. You can stay if you want." He said selfishly, just wanting Nat to stop making the face he was making. But he didn't and neither did he stay, he just gave Kevin a look that sent shivers down his spine, the bad kind, and then left without a word.

Kevin was suddenly filled with rage, at himself more than anything. Why was he such a fucking asshole all of the time? Why couldn't he just treat the people he loved with care and respect, he had to go and fuck everything up.

He crossed to the side of his room incredibly fast and punched the wall with all his strength, almost certain that he had broken something. "FUCK!" He screamed and then slumped in defeat. "Fucking damn it."

The taste of the morning sun was bitter, Kevin didn't attend his classes the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Hey guys so this is where it all begins! The first two chapters were kind of messy, I admit and so is this one to be honest, but after this there is no more setup that I need to do so it's all smooth sailing from here on out. The chapters should get longer and more detailed so be happy. Remember to review and this chapter has a lot of swearing in it, my version of Kevin is a potty mouth**

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 3**

Jim could tell something was wrong with Nat the entire day. He wasn't himself in the morning when they woke up, he'd usually be bustling and over-energetic as always but this time, though it wasn't entirely obvious, he was far more subdued. Jim was worried, really worried, and based of the stoic nod Plank had given him when Jim shot him his worried look, Plank agreed with him.

Nat had gone out pretty late the night before and then came back with this really strange expression on his face before flopping onto the bed and falling asleep. Plank was already asleep when he got there but Jim was lying in his bed on the top bunk, above Plank and he watched as Nat came in.

He was worried when Nat suddenly got a call and said he had to leave so Jim had stayed up to see if he'd come back, and he did. He originally planned to question Nat on where he had gone, but when he saw the larger teen's face, he didn't have the nerve. He supposed it was probably better anyway, he looked tired and Jim shouldn't bother him when he was trying to sleep. But then, the next day, he was acting stranger than he had before and Jim had really began to worry then. Jim's first class, however, was physical education, which he only shared with Plank so if he wanted to find out what was wrong with Nat, he'd have to wait.

Jim walked close to Plank as they travelled toward the running tracks. Jim felt much more confident with Plank by his side because even if the boy said little, Jim knew he would protect Jim from anyone who might want to mess with him. Even still, he was always worried he might get jumped, kids had always taken advantage of him because of his height and he wasn't ready to feel completely safe just yet. But Plank definitely helped.

They were doing archery today apparently and Jim wished he could get excited about it but he knew he couldn't. With his small structure and short stature there was no way he'd ever hit the target. He thought if he could, it'd be fun though. He was likely just going to watch Plank though. Plank was wonderful at anything athletic so Jim had no doubt it'd be the same with archery. When Jim had asked Nat, he had said that Plank grew up in a military family. His father had been a commanding officer and so he had been brought up to be very athletic.

Jim thought that was cool and it explained why he was so large for a boy his age. Apparently he had gone to boot camp the year before and that was probably where he got the scar on his left cheek from. He was glad more than ever when he found that out, that Plank was his friend, imagine how scary it would be if Plank wanted to beat him up too. Jim couldn't, that'd just be too terrifying.

Jims big, lime-green eyes searched the floor as he walked in his khaki shorts and old shoes. He wondered if Plank and Nat really cared about his clothes and stuff, he sometimes became aware of it when he saw Plank in his suave coat and button up shirts when all Jim had was his favorite oversized jumper and an assortment of boring or ripped pants. He didn't think either one were the types to judge based on appearance but what if they secretly did? Jim knew Edd had been having a hard time because of his commoner status, ever since he started hanging around Plank, people had stopped harassing Jim about it though, so he didn't know anymore.

Jim peered up at Plank and saw that his face was as blank as it normally was, but Jim thought he could see small creases of concentration on his face, faint but still their. Jim knew that Plank couldn't be as emotionless and stoic as his outward demeanor suggested he was, that was practically humanly impossible, so he always tried to understand what he was thinking and feeling if he could. Jim figured that no one else would and Jim knew what it was like when people judged you quickly so he didn't want to do that to Plank. This made him wonder even more if Plank was in fact doing the same for Jim, he definitely thought he was, but the fear was still there. How could Jim not have his doubts if he barely knew the boy. He never spoke. What's more is that he was still worried about Nat. Damn it, this was all becoming too much to worry about.

"Plank, I'm worried about Nat." Jim said absent mindedly as the two walked. Plank turned his eyes to Jim who looked back into them with his own, large and innocent ones. Plank slowly opened his mouth and said.

"I know you are." His voice was low and gravelly. Jim almost gasped, he had never actually heard Plank speak before and then he realised that he had never actually spoken to him directly before, he had always just assumed that he wouldn't answer, therefore Jim didn't bother. But what he had said, he knew? So Plank could read his mood just from looks, Jim had suspected that they were communicating the same thing to each other, but he could never quite confirm it, until now. From the excitement of hearing Planks voice, Jim almost forgot to speak again.

"Do you know why he's upset?" Jim asked.

Plank didn't say anything for a while and Jim almost feared it had been a one time thing but after his pause which Jim later assumed was a thinking pause, he said. "I am unsure, though I have an idea."

"What idea do you have?" Jim asked happy that he would be able to find out what was bothering Nat and that he and Plank were actually talking. He wondered if anyone else had heard him speak or if it was just him? Maybe he'd win a medal for cracking the indomitable giant's silence. Perhaps Jim was letting his imagination run wild.

"It is not my place to say. It is Nat's personal matter." Plank said and Jim nodded though he was slightly disappointed.

"I understand, it would be rude of you to tell Nat's secrets to me. I still worry though, I just want him to be happy, if he can't talk to anyone about it, how can he feel better?" Jim said as he sighed and placed his hands in his pockets.

Plank saw that Jim had been brought down a little and didn't really know what to do. It was the first time the younger boy had actually said anything so he had been thrown a little off guard, his brother, Jonny, had been the only person who had spoken with him all that often in the past. But Jim was a nice kid and very small too, Plank had immediately wanted to keep him safe and it seemed this was his repayment. He didn't want to see Jim unhappy, he was too naive and Plank somehow wanted to cherish that. To keep it intact because Plank's right to be young and naive had been taken from him. He rose a hand to his cheek and ran his fingers along his scar.

"If it will make you feel any better." He said. "I don't think Nat will keep it from you if you ask. But we should leave it for today and let him get over it himself. I'll keep you company until then."

Jim looked up with bright eyes and smiled big and cheesy. "I bet you're right. If Nat is upset he will talk to us about it, but we can't be moping around like he is until we find out the answer. We have to set a positive example right?" Jim giggled boyishly "Plank I'm glad I talked with you about this. We should talk more often in the future, there's no need to be shy you know."

If he didn't think it'd shock the boy into a coma, Plank would have laughed a little and even maybe smiled. But all he managed was a slight tugging at the corners of his mouth. He reached a hand out and ruffled the smaller boys hair, then without saying another word they continued on to archery together.

As Jim had suspected, he failed miserably at archery and he ended up simply watching Plank do it who was quite good at it, again like Jim had suspected.

"Looks like the dawn of a beautiful friendship" Jim said and giggled at himself for the cliche. But he allowed himself it, he hadn't made any friends before Plank and Nat, it had always just been Edd. And sure, he loved his brother, but he would cherish these two with all his heart. He didn't ever want to lose them because they had seen past his size and liked him for who he was. That made Jim so incredibly glad, he just hoped Edd had the same feeling about Eddy and the other Ed.

* * *

"Eddy, you will rue the day you crossed me!" Edd growled as he watched Eddy prance around with Edd's economics paper in his hand.

"Come on Double d, you get your grades easy but I have to work so hard for them, if I just steal this one little paper it won't hurt anyone." Edd was aware that the smaller boy was joking, and also that he was insecure about his height as he had taken the higher-ground of his bed, but Edd had no time for his games, whether his paper would be returned to him safe and sound or not. Edd was slightly OCD with some things and one of them was his school work. The very fact that Eddy was touching it and moving it was enough to get on Edd's nerves.

"Eddy, I haven't the time for this! Return my paper to me this instant!" Edd bellowed in frustration.

Eddy seemed to be afraid of a repeat of the previous homework incident where Edd had really blown a gasket because he handed the paper of tentatively afterwards, saying "Geez Double d, learn to lighten up."

Edd had it in his right mind to yell furtherly at Eddy because that was a rather ignorant thing to say, Edd had explained the situation of his issue and obsessive compulsive tendencies toward organization to Eddy and he had disrespected his wishes for Eddy to refrain from any behaviour that may obstruct his very organized (when it could be) life schedule. It was simple arrogance. But Edd didn't waste his breath. He suspected that Eddy was simply seeking attention regardless of whether it was positive or negative, not a very uncommon thing amongst boys his age. So Edd endured it like a parent or a sibling and got on with his life.

To be honest Edd was very proud of his ability to tolerate Eddy. Eddy did have many redeeming qualities about him, many of which involved his loyalty as a friend and good intentions despite being intrepidly irritating beyond Edd's comprehension. It was a constant struggle of endearment and I-want-to-silence-you-permanently and it took a lot of energy.

Regardless, Edd was able to spend most days free of a major annoyance on Eddy's behalf, Ed was also helpful in deterring the boisterous attitude Eddy had, bless his little heart, so Edd was fine, usually. Every now and then though Edd wanted to rip Eddy's head off. One of those days was today and to avoid Edd making a fool of himself, he decided to take a long walk to clear his head.

Edd made his way out of his dorm and toward the gardens to the east of the school buildings. He had taken a liking to the area out there, which was all green hedge and roses and water features. It was a nice place, especially at night, and a perfect place to clear one's head. Edd was really out of sorts, he wasn't entirely sure why though. He supposed it was just stress, but he couldn't focus on his homework in this state and that wouldn't be very good.

Eddy couldn't be responsible for it completely, Edd didn't blame him for it, it was likely a mixture of many things. Jim had also confided in him, his fears about Nat being upset, which Edd was also mildly worried about. On top of that Kevin seemed to suddenly notice Edd today, but in a bad way...and there was the money shot. That was the real reason and Edd concluded that it was pointless to deny it any longer.

It was in the period of time between sessions and Edd was making his way from physics to English. He had decided that he wasn't going to avoid Kevin anymore so despite the fact that Kevin was walking toward him straight on, he continued walking and didn't pay him anymore mind, but then he saw it. Kevin's eyes traced Edd like a hawk and they made him feel very uncomfortable, he looked as if he might want to murder something and it was, quite frankly, terrifying.

Edd had to resist the urge to take refuge in the nearest classroom or locker or flipping broomcloset. Kevin looked positively furious at Edd, he knew it! Why did it take this long though? Finally, when Edd had decided to finally walk around with his head held high was when Kevin showed that he was in fact annoyed with Edd. Edd had thought himself a fool but he had been right all along, he noted never to doubt himself again and that way he'd be able to avoid situations like this.

But seeing Kevin's eyes like that made Edd feel a little sad. Edd had never meant to take the spotlight away from Kevin, and he was sure the prince would remain popular once all the excitement died down, he had nothing to worry about. Edd couldn't help but be angry that Kevin had never given him a chance, he had just judged Edd based on what the rumors had said about him but Kevin didn't know Edd! How could he make that face if he hadn't even had a conversation with him? Of all people he wished wouldn't do that, Kevin was at the top.

Edd gasped as he just realised it himself. "Why do I care so much about Kevins perceptions of my person?" Edd questioned allowed.

It was stupid was it not? To dote on a prince, especially with Edd's social status. Besides if he was a prince he was probably straight anyway, there was no point getting himself worked up over Kevin just because he was attractive.

Edd sighed, things were getting out of hand, this was silly. He returned to his bedroom soon after to finish his homework.

* * *

Kevin sulked as he slumped into the beanbag he was sitting on in Nazz's room. The two of them had been friends since childhood and she was the only person he knew now that he hadn't tried to or actually fucked, so she was great for talking to about things like this. That was, when Kevin actually talked about it. Whatever "it" was, really. Kevin wasn't entirely sure.

"Are you gonna tell me what's up or...?" Nazz asked as she stared at Kevin.

Kevin felt stupid and said, "Yeah, yeah."

There was silence. "Well?"

"Fucking fine," Kevin growled. "I ran into Edd today."

"Oh, that's your new crush right? He's really cute, I don't blame you for liking him." Nazz said, too light heartedly for Kevin's liking.

"Yeah well things didn't exactly go according to plan." He was practically baring his teeth like a dog and frothing at the mouth.

Nazz sighed. "Would you quit with the bitterness already and just spit it out?"

Of course, she was right, but Kevin found it hard to admit, that for once, for the very first time in his life, he wanted something that didn't throw itself at him. He wasn't used to it, he expected the boy to want to get under him faster than you can say "hello". But no...damn.

"It's just, well at first I couldn't stop staring at him, I mean, you've seen him right? Who wouldn't stare at him if he went past you. Anyway I was looking at him, then he got this really weird look on his face and went past me faster, without taking a second glance at me. Like, shit Nazz I think he hates me."

"Why would he hate you?" Nazz said "And for christs sakes the two of you have barely spoken to each other, how can you be so upset over the fact that he walks past you a little fast? Have you forgotten how shy he is?"

Kevin swallowed, Nazz was always so forceful with her advice. She did, however, have a habit of pointing out things that Kevin would have never seen himself so he was glad of it. She was right, Edd was really shy, could it just be that?

"Well fine, he is shy, but what am I supposed to do then?" Kevin asked indignantly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Nazz replied. "Just go say hi."

Kevin gave her a look. "I can't just say "hi" like everything is fine and dandy, the kids fucking terrified of me."

"Well I guess you'll just have to change that won't you?"

So here Kevin was, the next day, waiting in the hallway where he knew Edd would show up just so he could say hello and get closer to Edd so he could fuck him and move on with his life. How could he possibly focus on his baseball (which was the only thing he cared about at this point) if he kept getting distracted by thoughts of Edd and his fucking stupid gapped teeth.

He just needed to do this. He shook his nerves with thoughts of winning every baseball game this season, that's what he'd be able to do if he fucked Edd and if that meant doing something incredibly awkward and embarrassing like saying hi to Edd, the commoner with the brains of fucking Einstein, then so be it.

He spotted Edd as he came passed the corner, walking alone thank god, with his signature black beanie with the two white strips and a cream cashmere sweater that Kevin had no idea how Edd afforded but looked fucking amazing on him, over a white shirt and black jeans. Kevin had never really wanted to fuck anything as much as he'd wanted to fuck Edd just then. Fucking damn it, Kevin was starting to develop a kink for femmes. Jesus.

As Edd got closer, Kevin feared he might scare the kid again and tried to practice smiling in the short amount of time he had before Edd would reach him. He tried to remind himself that he was a prince and prince's got whatever they wanted right? He had fucked so many girls and guys in the past, this was no different, he just had to woo Edd a bit, setup the trap, then, catch him, fuck him and let him go. Simple. Easy. Kevin swallowed hard.

That was it, Edd was right there, just a couple of steps away, Kevin had to seize his chance now and say something.

"Er, H-hey, double dork!" Kevin said nervously at first but he soon regained the casual gruff to his voice that it usually held.

Edd frowned at Kevin and Kevin wanted to slam his head into a wall. "I didn't really like the first nickname, and though it's growing on me, I definitely don't like this one. Please let me on my way, Kevin, I don't want any trouble."

Shit, shit, shit, shit. "No wait, Double d, I don't want - I mean, I just wanna talk?" Kevin reached out a hand and grabbed Edd's wrist without really knowing what else to do, forcing Edd to look at him. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment and then, as Kevin remembered his short amount of practice, he tried smiling.

Edd's face began to contort and at first Kevin was worried as fuck but then Edd started laughing his ass off. Like rolling around on the floor type shit, like Kevin had just said the funniest thing in the world.

"Kevin!" He bellowed in between giggles. "Is that your idea of a smile? Jesus Christ!"

Kevin wanted to get angry at Edd for making fun of him. "That smile was for you, dork!" he wanted to yell but when he saw Edd's laughing face it made his legs weak. Edd's eyes shut forcefully lashes brushing the tops of his cheeks and causing wrinkles to appear next to and above them, his mouth opened wide and big, revealing those gapped front teeth. His cheeks shone red and rosy and he brought his head back as he laughed.

"I thought I had a hard time in social situations. Oh dear!" Kevin thought that Edd was having way too much fun with it.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad! I tried didn't I?" Kevin growled, rather embarrassed but unable, still, to become angry.

Edd soon recovered, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Schadenfreude, Kevin. But you did try, yes. I am grateful."

"Shaden-what?" Kevin asked a perplexed expression crossing his face.

"Goodness, Kevin. You're a prince, you're vocabulary should be larger than three of me put together. But never mind that, I will be late for class if I do not hurry. What is it that you wanted to speak with me about."

Kevin gulped. "Um, I just wanted to say hi."

Edd stared at Kevin and his face grew slightly hot. Edd had to remind himself that he was still just a commoner even if he was both confused and extremely happy that Kevin was talking with him. He was at a loss for words however because Kevin had done a complete three-sixty from his usual scowling self.

"Oh...Thank you, Kevin. It was...nice having this chat with you." And with that he scurried off to his next class, really unsure of how to process what had just happened. What had just happened? What had gotten into Kevin, and himself?

Kevin watched Edd run away and felt his heart swell. He totally nailed it! Soon enough Edd would be eating out of the palm of his hand! The day couldn't have gone better.

That day at Baseball practice, he played better than he had in months earning him a lot of praise that he lapped up happily.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Remember to review guys!  
**

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 4**

Edd suddenly began regret keeping his sexuality from his friends. He had absolutely no one to talk to and absolutely no idea what to do on his own. Kevin had decided to just say "hi"? Why? What had changed from the day before when Kevin had given him a loathing stare. It made zero sense. What was Kevin getting at, was this some kind of joke to him? Perhaps he wanted to get closer to Edd in order to catch him off guard later? Honestly the state of things were beginning to go downhill faster than Edd really cared for them to.

He needed to speak to someone to help arrange his thoughts, with his own assumptions and cognitive bias, it would be hard to produce an objective solution. But there was no one to speak to. Jim was aware of Edd's sexual preferences but he was very naive and Edd didn't want to burden his little brother any further with his problems. Eddy wasn't entirely incapable of producing quality advice but Eddy didn't know about Edd's sexual orientation. Edd got the feeling that his attraction to Kevin may augment his perception of the events that had come to pass therefore knowing that bit of information was vital, Eddy wouldn't work. Ed was completely out of the question, but who else was there? There was Nat but he was hardly as familiar with him as he should be to be asking those kinds of questions and besides, had he not just suffered his own hardship, Edd was sure Nat was busy dealing with that.

He rubbed his head with his hands. Why did sociality have to be so convoluted? Edd would much rather sit down and deconstruct a chemical formula then have anything to do with all this hassle that he had been thrown into. Edd had gone thus far not worrying about boys, like he assumed the average gay teen would, so why should he start now? That's what he told himself anyway, but he did worry and it had become incredibly frustrating to have nobody to talk to about his issues. Edd noted that he should invest in some female friends.

He wondered if he should just come clean and tell Eddy, it might save him a lot of trouble later on but it could also cause a lot of it now. He had no idea how the boy would react. From Edd's observations, he found Eddy was rather homophobic. The prospect of sharing a room with a gay boy might not be one Eddy would appreciate, he would likely also be adverse to helping said gay boy with his love life. Edd was at a loss, so he did the only thing he knew how to, he avoided Kevin.

At first, it was easy. He had learnt which corridors the two of them usually crossed paths in and avoided them at all costs, he spent time during breaks and weekends with Jim or with Eddy and Ed in their rooms or in a part of the school that Edd was sure Kevin would never go near. And it was easy, and he could stop worrying and focus on his friends and schoolwork. So he kept doing it as long as he could.

* * *

It had been a couple of days since Jim had noticed Nat's strange mood and though it seemed to have improved, Jim was certain that Nat was still worried about something. He had been discussing the right time with Plank recently and Plank had eventually said "Do it when you think it's time."

That was all nice for Plank because he never talked to anyone so he mustn't understand how difficult it was to approach people in this state. On one side (the good one) Jim questions Nat, Nat explains himself and they reach a conclusion, on the other side, Jim questions Nat and Nat dismisses him or even gets mad. Or they could begin to discuss it and Jim might say something to upset Nat further. If it was a tender subject, Jim didn't want to force himself upon Nat, Nat should be able to speak about it in his own time, but at the same time Jim was so incredibly curious and concerned as to what it was that was upsetting him.

Eventually Jim decided that he was asking out of good will and if Nat had a problem with that there was nothing Jim could do about it. If Nat refused to talk about it, Jim wouldn't press any further, that seemed like the most sensible thing to do in that situation.

Nat was eating sushi in their room for saturday's breakfast and Jim thought that then was a good a time as any to ask about it. He sat down at the seat opposite Nat and gave a glance in Plank's direction who was leaning up against the column of their bed. He nodded in reassuring and so Jim said. "Nat, can I talk to you?"

Nat looked up from his sushi with a quizzical expression on his face then realisation dawned on him, "Oh, um...sure, Jim."

"Well," Jim began. "It's just that you've seemed upset these past couple of days and I was wondering if there was anything wrong?"

Nat sighed, "Geez, Yeah Jim, there is. But it's not exactly an easy thing for me to talk about."

Jim nodded immediately following through with his original plan. "I understand, don't worry about it then." He said getting up. "But, try to be happy, Nat." And then he hurriedly left the room.

Nat felt bad, all Jim wanted was to see Nat happy again, he knew that, but it wasn't like he could exactly say "Jim I'm upset because my ex-boyfriend would rather fuck your brother than me." So he had just left it. Honestly, what was with Kevin? Sure Edd was a nice guy and he was cute too but he didn't deserve all this attention did he? And did Kevin really think that he could blab off to Nazz and not have the information eventually find it's way to Nat? Was he really that stupid or did he want to brag about his knew fucking crush?

Plank's voice cut through Nat's reverie. "You should have told him."

"Why should I have told him, Plank?" Nat asked condescendingly.

Plank's eyes narrowed as he stared Nat down. He hadn't expected Nat to be so bitter about it, but it was too late to back down now. Besides that if he didn't say anything, no one would and Nat had a habit of getting carried away with things.

"Because you are making him worry. You can't keep secret's from him like that."

Nat glared at him incredulously "You're one to talk!" Then he scoffed. "How ironic. But honestly, would you ever tell him about your scar?"

Plank growled. "That is completely different and you know it!"

"How is it different? We're both hiding things from him aren't we?"

"I didn't get my scar from fucking my ex that doesn't even want me anymore!"

There was silence, crushing and heavy. The atmosphere got thicker, like they were suddenly breathing smoke. Plank immediately regretted it and reminded himself why it was that he kept his mouth shut, his anger was a real issue sometimes.

"I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

"No." Nat said. "You're right of course." He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry but I just don't think he really needs to hear about my sex life, you know?"

"Well then you better cheer up quick because your decisions are making him worry and he has enough to deal with as it is." And with that, Plank too left the room, leaving Nat to ponder the events that had just transpired.

He laughed a bit. At himself, at the situation he was in, at the complete fucking mess he had become. He used to be happy all the time and now he was a depressed. He hung his head. "When did I become such an idiot?" He asked, because now he was allowing his weaknesses to hurt the people around him, just like Kevin did. He didn't want that. And he didn't want to have bitter feelings toward Edd either, the guy was really nice, he just needed to pull his head out of his ass. He needed to meet someone new.

* * *

"Well then Jim, it seems that Nat must be very sensitive to the subject. I would leave it for the time being if I were you." Edd said.

Jim nodded. "I thought so too, but I wanted to give him space so here was the only place I could think of coming."

Eddy approached the two with skeptical eyes and said "Who cares about this Nat guy anyway? If he's going to mope around all day that's his problem."

"Eddy! That was very insensitive!" Edd hissed and Eddy rolled his eyes.

"It's true, ain't it?"

Edd narrowed his eyes at his friend but before he had a chance to pester him some more about his manners, there was a knock on the door. "I wonder who that could be?" Edd questioned as he stood up and moved toward the door and opening it.

Standing behind it was Plank, looking rather flustered and...annoyed? Despite his piercings and scar under his left eye, anger looked foreign on his usually neutral face. His mouth hung slightly open as he breathed in and out and Edd noticed that he had run here.

"Plank, what are you doing here?" Edd asked and hearing his name, Jim approached from behind to inspect the boy at their door.

When he saw that it was in fact, Plank his face lit up and he all but screamed. "Plank! What are you doing here?"

Plank had been staring at Edd's face for a strange while but then his eyes idly moved to Jim, he didn't move his head however and Edd was quite perplexed yet intrigued by his mannerisms. He almost picked up a sense of nervousness from the larger boy.

"I was worried about you." Plank said softly, his voice rolling out in volumes that Edd couldn't quite pick up on and based off a quick glance at Jim's face, Edd suspected that he didn't either. But he was happy to see the larger male, that much was clear on his face.

"Plank, you don't need to worry about me." Jim said with a light hearted giggle. "How about Nat, is he feeling better?"

It was only for a split second and if Edd hadn't already been watching PLanks face he swore he would have missed it but his brows contorted quickly and the sides of his mouth tugged down. He was mad, but only for a second. Jim hadn't seemed to notice.

"He's fine." Plank's unfamiliar voice spoke. "He should have told you, it's unfair to make you worry."

"No, I'm fine Plank really." Jim said waving his hands in front of his face to try and brush Plank's concern off. "Thank you though, Plank. You're a nice guy."

Plank said nothing, his expression unreadable as he stared at Jim as if trying to asses something, he eventually said. "I think Nat is fine now, you don't need to worry."

"Well I'm glad" Jim said, "Thanks again Plank, I didn't expect you to follow after me lik this, but it makes me happy that you're my friend." Then without warning, Jim stepped forward and hugged plank, though because of the height difference it was more like Jim hugged Plank's legs.

Plank looked taken aback but eventually raised a hand up to ruffle Jim's hair.

"What's going on there Double d?" Eddy called. "Who's at the door?"

Edd turned his attention back to his roommate as he supposed it was only fair that Eddy inquire about who was at the entrance to his living quarters. "Plank. He is Jim's friend."

"What kind of name is Plank?"

"I believe it is a nickname." Edd replied. "I am unsure exactly why he has it, much like my own." However Edd thought Plank was a far more outlandish nickname then Double d.

Eddy rolled his eyes at Edd and that was the end of the conversation so he turned his attention back to Plank. Jim was now standing next to him again and both seemed unsure of what to do with themselves. How bothersome, Edd thought. He was socially-awkward enough as it is without being in a group of three, one other the same, one far worse than he was.

"Well then Jim. Would you like to stay here with me or accompany Plank back to your bedroom?"

"Hm, well if Nat is fine, I might as well go back. Thanks for the talk, bro."

Edd nodded and waved as he watched the two make their way away. "Okay, Jim. Have a pleasant evening."

* * *

It was Saturday and it had been a couple of days since Kevin had tried to talk to Edd and despite the fact that at the time he felt like he had done a rather terrific job, now he wasn't so sure. He hadn't seen Edd since the incident, and though that didn't mean much KEvin couldn't help but feel restless. He wanted to go see the dork right then and there, but he had no way of doing that even if he did know what the guys room number was, it'd be creepy to just show up and he didn't have Edd's phone number (if he even had a phone).

So Kevin lounged around on his bed thinking and getting frustrated at his sudden lack of "life." He was the prince, and yet he was likely the student with the most uneventful life out of everyone, which was kind of stupid if you asked him. He supposed he could wander the halls and find some random person to talk to, he was sure it was possible with the amount of students in Alter Waters that wanted the royal d. Kevin was almost certain that some families sent their daughters here just so they could win his favour, when the news got out that he was bi, tons of families also sent their sons for the same reason.

Alter was like a overflowing sex pot for Kevin, he could have so many people if he wanted. He could have a new spouse a day and try all kinds of crazy things like threesomes and orgies, but he didn't. Forgetting the fact that there was no way he'd have the energy to have a new spouse every day with the kind of sex Kevin liked to have, he didn't want to just fuck some random kid who's parents were hoping for an induction into the royal family, he wanted Edd. And it was becoming extremely and painfully obvious. He had tried fucking another guy to get his mind off it before but all that achieved was making Kevin more horny and fucking Nat's life up for a bit so Kevin really didn't want to try that out again. But he also didn't want to stay cooped up in his room, so what should he do?

Kevin got up and made his way over to his chest of drawers where his bat sat, neatly against the wall. He needed another person if he wanted to play baseball, but who'd come play with him. Wait? Was this an excuse to invite Edd out? Kevin got excited with his new idea, but his excitement quickly died down.

The problem of not knowing how to get into contact with Edd was still there, hanging in his face and teasing him. Damn it.

Kevin grabbed his bat and placed a ball in his pocket before he ventured out into the corridors of the school, far more empty on a Saturday than they would be if this was a weekday so for the most part, Kevin's idle walk was quiet. He had no idea where he was going or why he had even left his room but he had and now he was being stupid and trying to chase after Edd even though he knew it was pointless. What made it worse was the idea that Kevin probably wanted Edd so much because he wasn't allowed to have him. Edd had been very adamant on staying distant from Kevin in the beginning and so Kevin got the urge to chase. Like a dog or something, just as long as it was moving away from him he wanted to pounce on it.

What a stupid idea, Kevin thought. Why would he only be interested in Edd because he couldn't have him, there had to be some other explanation, he was incredibly cute. Kevin thought he'd go with that, also, because he was a commoner, Kevin knew that his friendship would be genuine and not some elaborate hoax that somebody's parent's invented. Edd also seemed so innocent and Kevin would be lying if he said the idea of stripping Edd of that innocence didn't turn him on.

"Oh for fucks sakes, Kevin. You're a horny fucking bastard aren't you?" Kevin said allowed.

"You're just now realising this?" A voice called and as Kevin turned around he saw it was Nazz, her short blonde hair bobbing around her head as she walked.

"What are you doing out here?" Kevin asked giving her a quick hug hello.

"I could ask you the same, but I'm actually on my way to go see my boyfriend." Nazz replied.

"Well I wanted to ask Edd if he wanted to play some baseball but I have no idea how to get in contact with him so I just started wandering the corridors."

Nazz scoffed, "Wow you got it bad don't ya?"

"Yeah right. It's not even that bad." Kevin scoffed back. "Maybe I should just hire a private jet to take me to Hawaii."

Nazz giggled slightly. "Running away won't solve anything." She sighed, "He's roomed with Eddy right? Well you've been there before haven't you? Back when he tried to trick you into spending a lot of money on getting yourself a 'Pro-batter bat' that'd make you a pro with no effort."

Kevin grumbled as the memories of his youth resurfaced but he did remember where Eddy's room was, and consequently, Edd's.

"Thanks Nazz!" Kevin said hugging her again. "I'll pay you back for this." And then he was running off in search of the second dorm. He didn't remember the exact number but he did remember how to reach the corridor the room was located in, so he supposed he'd just have to try every door until he found the one Edd was in. Or so he thought, luckily for him when he got there, he saw Edd's little brother Jim and that Plank guy walking away with Edd standing outside his door waving goodbye.

Without knowing how else he might approach Edd, Kevin simply put his hand on the other boy's shoulder eliciting a loud, "Gracious, Kevin!" from him.

Kevin chuckled. "Hey Double d, what's up?"

Edd couldn't even begin to express his surprise at seeing Kevin just outside of his bedroom but he did know straight away that he couldn't let Eddy know so he hastily scurried over and shut his door.

"What is it that you want, Kevin?" Edd asked as he placed his back against the door. This was it, Kevin was going to tell Edd that he had changed his mind and that a prince couldn't be friends with a commoner. That only made sense, right? If not, why else would Kevin go out of his way to find Edd by his living quarters?

Edd braced himself. "Um...actually I was wondering if you wanted to play some baseball?" Kevin held out his bat in front of Edd's eyes.

Edd's brain was nowhere near comprehending this, "Kevin, what are you - why are you inviting me to play Baseball with you? I can barely run a lap without keeling over and choking on my own perspiration."

"That was kind of a gross way to put it." Kevin said absent mindedly but then corrected himself quickly. "Um, I mean it doesn't have to be Baseball, we can just, um, hang out it you want?"

Edd blinked. "Kevin, are you extending a hand of friendship toward me?"

Kevin smiled, for real this time and it was dazzling. "Um yeah, guess I am."

Edd didn't allow the moment to last. "Why?"

Kevin frowned at him. "Whaddya mean, why?"

"By why, Kevin, I mean why. You are a prince and I am a commoner, does that not break traditional social standings?"

"Well sure." Kevin replied rubbing the back of his head. "But so does fucking guys as a prince, but I still do that."

Well then.

Edd was at a loss for words, this was all so surreal. Why would Kevin even want Edd's friendship anyway? Could it be that Edd had been reading Kevin wrong this whole time? But to be so incredibly wrong, that didn't make sense. Then it dawned on him.

_I understand, but that could be easily changed if they just spoke to me. I find their logic flawed._

Edd had been doing exactly what he was failing his classmates for doing to him. He had never spoken to Kevin before he wrote him off as a bigot. He was a hypocrite.

"Shit." Edd said, swearing without really realising it. How could he do that, how selfish of him, and he had been avoiding Kevin too, without even giving him a chance. Looking at his face, Edd saw that Kevin looked rather genuine, and nervous. Kevin actually wanted to spend time with him!

"Kevin, of course! I mean, I despise sport of any kind but perhaps we can get something to eat or something? I'm sure it would be more adequate for our first time spending time together, we should want to get to know each other, no?"

Kevin smiled. "Yeah, nah. That makes perfect sense."

Edd had one more problem to deal with now. "Not now though." He said, "Make it tomorrow, same time; at noon. I just have to deal with Eddy right now, he'd get suspicious if I left now and well, you know how he feels about you."

Edd realised that that had probably come across as cold and scolded himself for saying it. He should have just kept the reasons to himself, after all, Kevin hardly had a right to demand Edd's time without any notice. Damn it.

"Er, yeah, sure." Kevin said and Edd tried to smile even though he knew it was probably awkward.

"Um, well see you tomorrow then, I guess. Come get me at the end of this corridor." Edd said and then he nodded goodbye and quickly let himself inside, shutting the door behind him.

Kevin stood there, unsure of what to make of what had just happened. He traveled back to his room and put his bat and ball back on his chest of drawers before walking over to his bed.

"What the hell just happened?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N HEY GUISE! Been a while hasn't it (it was actually yesterday hehehehe I'm the fastest writer of them all!) So this chapter has some swearing, underage-drinking and sex, if you don't like those things you really should have learnt that by now. Also, all the spelling and grammar mistakes (as you should be able to figure out by yourself) within speech marks are intentional, don't message me about horrible grammar you little shits. Anyway, REMEMBER TO REVIEW GUYS! I LOVE YA!**

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 5**

Before Edd knew it, it was Saturday morning and two hours until Kevin would be coming to get him. He was still a little worried that Kevin may have ulterior motives, but he was going to try his utmost to give the boy a fair chance. It was only what he deserved. Also Kevin had said, in the most vulgar of fashions that he also had attraction to men, and if that was true, it was one less thing Edd had to worry about. What a strange thought, Edd mused to himself, a gay prince. Edd supposed that statistically speaking it wasn't impossible. depending on whether you thought there was a gay gene or not but it was rather unheard of. Edd wondered what kind of men Kevin was attracted to, then something dawned on him and he literally choked on his green tea.

Kevin couldn't be attracted to Edd, could he be?! It would explain a lot, Edd thought but no - no way. Edd should not allow his mind to run off on tangents. Yes the prince had revealed himself as at least partially gay but to assume that therefore Kevin was attracted to Edd would be arrogant. Kevin had not invited Edd to the movies or anything that implied his attraction to Edd, he had invited Edd to baseball which was something two male friends would normally do together. It had been Edd's choice to get something to eat instead and that was because he had no interest in sport so there was no evidence suggesting Kevin was attracted to Edd.

He didn't worry about what he wore because he knew it wouldn't really matter anyway so he just put on what he normally did, a cream cashmere sweater over a white shirt with black jeans. He was sure it looked plain and boring but that was okay, Edd supposed.

At noon, like Edd had said, Kevin approached him, leaning against the wall a little ways up from the door to his room. He had told Eddy that he planned to spend the rest of the day with Jim in his room so he didn't have to worry about him finding out and having an aneurysm. Jim planned to stay indoors with Plank all day today while Nat went out to some friends place that nobody had heard of before so Edd really had nobody to worry about. Nobody but Kevin.

When the red-headed boy approached Edd saw that he was still wearing his baseball cap backwards and an open jacket with a hoodie and jeans. He looked rather, well just as simple as Edd did, which Edd was surprised about.

Edd frowned. "Forgive me Kevin, but you don't look very prince like."

Kevin smiled at him playfully. "Yeah, think of it as my way of fucking the system. I like to feel comfortable in my down time and I like the look of these clothes better anyway."

Edd was astonished, it seemed they wanted the exact opposite of what they had. If Edd had access to the kinds of expensive, form fitting clothing Edd knew Kevin did, he'd be in heaven. It was hard to find clothes that fit Edd properly and didn't look baggy but if they were made especially for him, the situation would be completely different. Edd swooned at the idea of wearing a tailored suit. But Kevin just wanted to wear the baggy clothes that Edd's wardrobe was full of, how odd.

"Well Kevin, I can see where you are coming from, I suppose. Casual clothing certainly is comfortable, I would not like to gallant around my living room in a suit and tie if I wasn't about to go to a dinner party."

Kevin smiled big and excited. "Exactly! God, nobody here gets that, it's always expensive or nothing to them, you know. This jacket cost twenty bucks." He pulled parts of the fabric forward with his hands. "Can you believe that, it's so cheap yet comfy and it looks good, I don't get why the clothes my parents get me are so expensive."

Edd was starting to see Kevin in a new light. "I suppose they want you to appear outwardly of class."

"Ah fuck that!" Kevin said and Edd was increasingly surprised that a prince used such harsh words in everyday conversation. "I just want to play baseball and fuck around with my friends, you know?"

Edd didn't know. He was always striving to further his studies and get closer to his dream job, so he had no time for "fucking around" with his friends. But he could see how the stresses of being a prince may cause someone to want to let go every now and then. Though not to the extremes Kevin did, Edd at least got it a little bit, he thought.

"Um, well then. Shall we be on our way then, Kevin?"

As the walked Kevin resisted the urge to fall slightly behind in order to stare at Edd's ass as he walked. He had been wearing the same outfit as before and Kevin supposed that was because he didn't really have the money to have an extensive wardrobe but that didn't matter because he loved the way those clothes looked on Edd.

He wondered what Edd was thinking, what Edd considered this? Was this a date to him? If it was Kevin hoped Edd didn't expect to take things slow, that wasn't what Kevin wanted at all, he wasn't after a relationship, he had proved to himself time and time again that he's incapable of making one last and Edd looked too cute to want to hurt like he had Nat. The thought of what he had done to Nat left a sour taste in his mouth but he ignored it and focused on Edd.

Soon the two reached the school cafeteria which was more like a classy restaurant in Edd's opinion. What kind of school cafeteria had waiters and waitresses as well as table numbers and real dishes like veal cordon bleu and caviar. What's more was that they made you pay for it! He could barely afford any of the food here so he had to have an exception made for him just as long as he didn't eat the more extravagant dishes which was fine by Edd.

When the waitress at the door saw the two she frowned at first, obviously thinking two commoners had wandered into the school by accident but then she said. "Oh, it's you prince Kevin! Would you like your usual table?"

"Yeah." Kevin replied absentmindedly.

They were lead through a door on the east side of the cafeteria which lead into a small room with one set table. There was even a miniature garden with a pond and fish next to it. Flipping fish! Edd was far beyond verbal expression of his incredulous attitude toward the whole thing. He almost stopped believing it completely but then he was lead to sit on a long plush red seat with a canopy above the table.

"Would you like a specific lighting?" The waitress asked and Kevin caught the implication there.

"Nah, not this time." He said and she nodded before placing the menu in front of them.

Edd's eyes were darting all over the place and his heartbeat had gone far over the healthy limit for sitting still, he was practically shortening his lifespan as he sat. "Um, Kevin, this is a bit much." He said.

"Oh yeah." Kevin said with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's probably not what you're used to is it? Well this room was made for people of high-standing if they come to visit the school to check out it's facilities, usually for military generals and stuff like that, but seeing as I'm a prince I get access to it. Actually me and my friends eat our lunch here everyday so I completely forgot that something like this might freak you out."

Edd released a heavy breath. "Well yes it was a slight shock. We went from baseball to this?" Edd gave a little chuckle. "Don't worry, Kevin. I will be fine, now that you have explained it to me."

Kevin grinned. "Cool."

Edd looked at the menu and he had encountered another problem. The prices made him queasy. Did the nobility really pay this much for food every day? That was outrageous!

"What do you want to eat, Double d?" Kevin asked, not looking up from his own menu.

"Erm, is it possible for me to just get a sandwich?" Edd inquired, he hated this school sometimes.

Kevin gave him a weird look, "You sure you just want that? There's tons of cool stuff you can eat."

Looks like there was no getting around it. Edd took a deep breath and said, "Kevin, I am sorry but I do not think I can afford the same types of meals as you can. Would it be okay if I just have something small?"

Kevin looked like he had just been slapped in the face. "Shit, of-fucking course! Don't worry about it, I will pay for you."

Edd didn't like the direction things were going in, it seemed far too much like a date. Just because he was a prince didn't mean he could be so flippant about things like that, to Edd paying for someone else's meal meant something.

Kevin hoped Edd didn't think he was just doing this because he had the money. He had to make up for scaring him in the past, besides this was practically a date anyway. It shouldn't hurt to just do it if Edd didn't have the money.

"No, Kevin, I can't ask that of you." Edd said and Kevin gave him an incredulous look.

"Are you serious?" And Edd immediately realised how that might have sounded stupid while speaking to a prince. "Look, if there's anyone I want to spend my money on, it's you. I just also happen to be able to afford this entire school, so don't worry."

Edd resisted his resentment and focused on the positive, and possibly scary part of what Kevin had said. If there is anyone I want to spend money on, it's you. What had that meant? Was that Kevin's idea of flirting? No it couldn't be, but why else would he say it? A pleasantry? A butter-up comment? Perhaps Kevin needed help with his homework?

Kevin had just sort of said it because it sounded right. It wasn't entirely false, though there were tons of other people that Kevin would also pay a meal for, he still wanted to for Edd. To be honest he didn't really care if Edd was a commoner, if he couldn't afford the food, Kevin could. Besides anything that got him brownie points was fine by him, Edd must be happy to hear that right?

The rest of the meal was spent through awkward silences and the sounds of eating. Neither one had known quite what to say and so they just focused on eating, resulting in the most awkward situation possible. There were no other noises in the room other then forks and knives scraping against each other and the running water of the pond, which did provide some comfort when Edd tuned out and listened to it.

They did however, eventually finish, and there came a time when one of them had to speak up. Edd sighed, "Perhaps here wasn't the ideal environment for getting to know each other. Kevin, would you like to go for a walk?"

Kevin had agreed and so they began to walk around the school, talking to each other. At first it was awkward and neither one really knew what to say to each other, but eventually they fell into a rhythm. Kevin talked of his life at home, in a castle. Edd found the prospect of knowing someone who lived in a castle a little unfamiliar at first but the more Kevin talked about it, the easier it got. He said that it was like the academy but bigger and with less classrooms and things like that. Kevin had no idea what the necessity for castles were in this day and age but he supposed they were just like crowns in the sense that they were their to show status and nothing more. He couldn't imagine what it might be like to live in one though, and keeping all the rooms that had to be empty mustn't be very easy.

Edd talked about his home life too. He said that for the most part it was just him and Jim because his parents were constantly out of town but that it was okay. Edd and Jim had gotten used to it and when they had each other, it wasn't so hard to deal with their lack of parental supervision. Edd had done most of the house-cleaning himself whereas Jim would cook the meals. They shared a room too so keeping it clean was rather easy. In general they had an easy ecosystem going on and Edd wouldn't have it any other way. Jim on the other hand would have preferred to have at least one parent around and Edd knew that was because he lacked the sturdiness and security one would have. Edd also deduced that was why Jim had become affiliated with Plank now. But he hardly told any of that to Kevin, there was no need to, just the basic stuff like how it was hard, but they got on. The stuff you said to someone you were putting on trial.

By the time they had finished talking it was well into the afternoon and Edd had to begin preparing for monday's classes so he bid Kevin farewell.

"Kevin, I must return now but it was good talking with you, and eating with you." Edd gave a little giggled remembering the total lack of sociality at lunch.

"Um, yeah. It was great." Kevin said and so Edd turned around and began to leave.

"Jesus christ, what do I do now?" Kevin whispered under his breath. He hadn't gotten anywhere, Edd had just told him about his home life. They were almost becoming friends, mind you that's probably what Edd thought they were but it wasn't what Kevin wanted, he just wanted to fuck the kid and get it over with...right? It didn't really matter if Kevin loved the way he smiled or the sound of his laugh or if he found Edd's stories interesting, because he just wanted to fuck him. They couldn't be friends. But damn he was walking away now, what should Kevin do!?

"Hey Edd!" He called out and immediately wanted to slap himself in the face, why was he calling after him?

Edd turned around with a curious face. "Yes, Kevin?"

"Um, let's do this again sometime?"

Edd smiled and Kevin was ready to hand himself over to some kind of cult for immolation. "Certainly, Kevin."

* * *

Sunday parties had to be the saddest kind of parties. They were the kind of parties people went to so that they could use their hangovers as an excuse not to do anything on Monday and that was exactly why Nat was going to one. He did also want to meet new people and possibly get laid and a Sunday party was the only time there had been one this weekend, but really Nat dreaded the idea of going to baseball practice with Kevin tomorrow so this was his escape. If he was really daring he might of drunk on Monday instead so that all of baseball practice seemed flowery, but he wasn't that stupid, the coach'd kill him. The coach would also probably also kill him for having a day off "sick" but it was the better option, and he was sure Jim couldn't tell the difference between hangovers and general sickness so he had the little tyke to vouch for him.

The party was being hosted by the Kankers. They weren't normally the kind of girls Nat would hang around with, they were all over-pampered over-fucked bitches that didn't know when to leave things alone. But if it was a place to get drunk Nat couldn't really complain now could he?

The perks of going to a school for the rich is that parties with alcohol were everywhere. All the students here were over-privileged so their parents practically handed the stuff over, and if they didn't, the college guys would and the teachers didn't care even if they did, half of the kids here could buy their silence or even have them sued for false accusation regardless of it's truth or not. There was just no going against nobility and most of the teachers weren't nobility, and for those that were, they had connections with many students' parents and didn't want to break them. So there was really no way around it, if you attended this school, there is going to be underage drinking.

Nat heard music as he made his way to the Kankers room (which he had no doubt had been selected for them because it was larger, almost like an apartment, so that they could have parties in it). They were fucking irritable people but they served their purpose in the social rankings of their school. There had to be party girls, even in a preppy school like this, otherwise the entire school structure would fall apart and melt down the drain and the kids who normally spent their fridays nights getting drunk would do something crazy like beat people up for kicks (no pun intended). So it was essential for keeping a certain bunch of alcos out of trouble.

Nat walked in the door and was immediately buffeted by bodies. It was a given that that would happen too, too many too drunk; you were going to get elbowed a few amount of times. But Nat made his way over to the drinks and avoided any serious injury so he knew he was in for a good night. He didn't bother saying hi to anyone yet, he didn't know anyone at the party so he needed to be drunk before he could even start talking to people.

Then five shots and three beers later he was ready to take on the world. And then he was ready to take on the cute brunette next to him. Nat strutted over, pushing his chest out as if it were impressive and made his way over to the person looking like a complete knob but not realising it. When he got closer, he saw that it was a boy and that his hair wasn't brown it was closer to purple, a kind of maroon actually. His eyes were a golden brown but Nat couldn't see much more of them in the lighting. Nat was kind of hoping to go for a girl, kinda thought it might be easier but he supposed a twink would work too. And yes, the kid was gay, Nat could smell gay a mile away but besides that he was pretty sure he was wearing eyeliner, that combined with Nat's impeccable gaydar, he had to be.

"Hey." Nat said with what he thought was a seductive smirk but came out as a manic's stalking smirk, the other boy however also seemed too intoxicated to really care.

"Who the fuck are you?" He asked and Nat was shocked by his lack of bashfulness around his killer charm.

"I'm, um, my name is Nat, who're you?"

The boy glared at him for a moment and then, taking another sip of his drink, he said. "My name's Rave."

"Rave...you look so angry." Nat said absentmindedly, not really expecting an answer, but-

"I am angry. Because I fucking hate everyone in this party and I hope they get in a car crash and burn to death or have their necks broken on impact."

"That's, err. Very specific." Nat gulped, "But if that's true what are you even doing here?"

Rave glared at him again, "Because I stay in the room next door, it's impossible to sleep with all this noise so I thought I might as well just get wasted you know?"

"Yeah! I don't like the people here either, I just wanted to get drunk." Nat smiled big and goofy.

Rave stared at him, again. Nat was beginning to get scared that Rave had some kind of psychic powers and he was willing Nat to die in a car crash with the others but then he said suddenly, "Wanna make out?"

Nat didn't need to be asked twice, and after a quick whisper of "That was easy" he placed a big, sloppy, wet, drunken kiss on his new friends face. Their kisses were frantic from then on and so were there hands grabbing at flesh and fabric in the dim lighting, any ounce of rationality was trounced by the amount of alcohol they had in their systems. At one point Rave bit Nat's nose accidentally causing them to both laugh way too loud.

Eventually Rave pulled Nat out of the party room in chase of his own, but Nat pushed him up against the wall for some more kissing and groping before they could make it. When they did, they burst through the door, giggling loudly; if anyone was asleep in here, they weren't anymore. But according to Rave, and Nat learnt this through broken moans of speech in between kisses, there was nobody here and that's why he had brought them both here.

Travelling toward the bed, Nat tripped over his own feet smashing his chin into the ground and growling loudly.

"Great! Stay there!" Nat heard Rave yell excitedly as he felt hands grip at his hips and Rave's croth rub up against his abdomen.

"Hey, who said you could top!?" Nat wailed in a drunken slur, they had had a couple more drinks (some from each other's mouths) before they had left.

"Ah, quit yer fuckin' whining!" Rave yelled as he did some more rubbing and pressing. He looked down through his glazed vision at Nat's ass just below his hands and stuck his tongue out as all he could manage was some more rubbing and poking.

"What are ya even doin'" Nat asked.

"I can't find the fucking hole! Nat, where do you shit from!?"

"Nat wriggled out of Rave's arms and sat up. "Both a us still got are pants on, idiot!"

Rave squinted and then hiccuped and said. "Oh yeah."

"Well take them off then."

Rave nodded and began taking off his pants but fell over himself when he did, his pants around his ankles. Nat giggled. "Ommgod, Rave." He said, scooting over on his butt and picking the other boys head up in his hands and kissing him again, briefly before moving down to pull the other boys skinny jeans all the way off.

"Nat," Rave said and Nat turned his attention to him. "I wanna top. I always bo'om. Why do I gotta get fucked n the ass all the time?"

Nat giggled again, and again it was far too loud. "Because yer a sexy twink, thas why."

Then he was kissing Rave again and his other hand wondered south to cup the growing hardness there. "Don't wanna bot-" Rave said softly. "Ah fuck it."

When Rave suddenly started shouting Nat nearly jumped out of his skin and let's just say Nat was very glad that the music next door drowned out what he said, hopefully, from the people around. "Look Nat-fucking-whatever-yer-lastname-is. I'll let ya fuck me today, but only today! No more after that! I refuse to be fucked by ayone anymore so consider yerself lucky!"

If Nat was sober he probably would of thought about this through and not had sex with someone he barely knew but then again he came here knowing he was horny and getting drunk so perhaps not. But he just got permission and he sure as hell wasn't going to turn that chance down.

"Okey, I'll fuck ya, I'll fuck ya so good, you'll cry...wait I don't think thas a good thing. Wut even is sedukshun?"

Rave became impatient. "Jus hurry up n stick it in already!"

"I can't just stick 'tin. I need condoms n loob."

"In mah top draw, hurry up!"

Nat got up and stumbled over to the drawer and opened it finding the condoms and lube Rave had spoken of. He smirked excitedly and turned back to Rave who had taken his turtle neck off and made his way over to the bed, ready to go. Good boy. Nat thought and he quickly got on the bed and on top of Rave kissing him again.

This time, with the minimal amount of clothes Rave had on, Nat's hands knew exactly where they were going, they traced every inch of skin they could find, traveling over every soft yet masculine curve, brushing over his thighs and past his ribs as their mouths crushed together in drunken fervency.

Nat began to bite down on Rave neck, the same way Kevin had done to him, and happily he achieved the same result, a moan soft but obvious. He travelled down his chest which was pleasantly hairless except for a few area's where a fuzz had began to grow, it tickled Nat's cheek as he stopped by Rave's nipples to suckle and bite them slightly. More moans, topping was fun.

Eventually Nat traveled further down and stuck his tongue out again to trail it along Rave's navel causing him to squirm under him and make a broken "ah" sound but when Nat's tongue brushed over the head of Rave's dick, that's when he really started squirming. Nat took Rave's whole length in easily, used to deep-throating Kevin ho was far above average but Rave seemed shocked by it as his eyes went wide and he started writhing uncontrollably and saying "Wh-what the hell is this - oh My GOD!"

Nat laughed with Rave's dick down his throat and the vibrations caused Rave to moan louder. Realising that this was probably more intense than Rave was used to, he eased up and immediately moved to Rave's other side. He didn't want Rave to cum before he had had his fun too. He squeezed some of the lube out into his hand and smeared it over Rave's entrance causing him to gasp as he slid one finger in. He began to bob his head again, this time taking less of Rave's shaft in as he began to work at opening the slightly smaller boy up.

It didn't take long, it seemed Rave was right to complain about the amount of times he'd been "fucked in the ass." But that just made it easier for Nat. He stopped sucking down on Rave earning him a disapproving sigh that was soon replaced by a groan of pleasure as Nat wasted no time filling the room his fingers had left. Rave gasped.

Nat wasn't that big, he knew that but he also knew what to do with what he was given. As they say, it's not about the size, it's about how you use it. He eased himself in slowly and it didn't seem to cause Rave any pain, just some pleasure as the head of Nat's cock brushed past his prostate just a bit, he gasped red faced and flustered and it made NAt want to fuck him hard into the wall.

He didn't though, he just began to move in and out slowly, aiming his thrust toward the spot that he had discovered accidentally (thank god). Soon his pace grew faster and faster as Rave became more audible in his expressions of pleasure. Nat learned that Rave was a very expressive individual in that moment. He pushed his cheek into the pillow or one of his legs would kick or an arm would fly out all the while, he was moaning. It was like it felt so good he couldn't contain it and that made Nat's ego shoot through the roof. It didn't particularly matter if he reacted this way with everyone or not, Nat was drunk and fucking a cute twink so he didn't care.

Eventually, as Nat's thrusting became faster he, came leaving Rave a mess, but still without his climax. Nat pulled out quickly, then return to his deep-throating. Rave immediately began to writhe again and it egged Nat on. He began to hum a tune, a One Direction song, which had been a great idea in his state of inebriation and Rave didn't even care that his insecurities may or may not be being idealized and glorified because the extra vibrations sent him over the edge as he came into Nat's mouth. Nat swallowed. Rave wasn't used to that. Rave was turned on.

Both kind of wanted to do more but they were panting and tired and drunk and Nat really doubted either one had it in them to keep going. So Nat kissed Rave, not really remembering that he had just met the boy, on the mouth and wrapped his arms around his waist, whispering "sleep".

They did, with ease because of the exertion that sex had strained on them. Nat's dreams were full of sweet-foods and llama's with human faces, which Nat would later find weird yet strangely familiar.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Swearing and the usual stuff guys. Remember to review**

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 6**

Nat was shaken violently from sleep by a rather loud and shrill cry. He had no idea what was going on, just that something loud was ringing in his ears and that the light was fucking excruciating with a hangover. He couldn't remember where he was or how he had gotten there and he couldn't think up a reason to explain a screaming person whose words weren't quite coherent yet so needless to say, Nat was very confused.

Eventually though, the world stopped spinning and the corners of the room weren't whitened out. Objects became distinguishable and so did a long-purple-haired boy yelling at him. "Who the fuck are you!?"

His eyes looked dead, probably from a hangover, much like Nat's and his hair was messy and sticking out in all directions. When Nat put his hand to his own head, he found that his hair was in a similar state of dishevelment. Then he realised he was naked and he realised why the other boy was yelling at him and his stomach dropped.

"I'm Nat, hey whoa, calm down." Nat said reaching out to try and physically grab and stop the other boys flow of anger, as strange as that sounded. It did, of course, not work; Nat's fingers barely reached him.

"I will not calm down! How can I calm down when I wake up with a stranger, naked in my bed!?" He bellowed with gritted teeth.

Against everything in him that told Nat it was a bad idea, he grinned stupidly, "Huh, I think I kinda remember how I got here now."

The other boy looked like he couldn't decide whether he wanted to be incredibly upset or irrefutably furious. His face settled on looking mortified as he squeaked. "That isn't something you should be smirking about. Oh god."

"Hey, so we fucked." Nat said shrugging. "No big deal, right? What's your name again?"

The boy, who Nat was starting to feel was extremely cute, opened his mouth, shut it, opened it again, shut it again and then just stood there doing nothing. He didn't have the right words to express exactly what he was feeling, he could not encapsulate the shock of finding Nat next to him that morning but Nat did have a point, as vulgar as that point may be. There was nothing he could do about it now. "My name is Rave." He managed to say, but that was all he could manage.

"Rave. Is that your real name?" Nat asked, innocently.

Rave glared at him, automatically assuming the worst. "Yes it is! Got a problem with that?"

"No." Nat said with a breathy half-laugh. "I love it, actually. So retro."

Rave was taken aback. Nobody had ever said his name was cool before, he had always just received shit for it so he assumed the same would happen here. But Rave could never stay flowery and happy forever. Fucking Nat thought he could butter Rave up with compliments and he'd just melt into his hands? No fucking way. Rave frowned.

"Nat, what is your name?" Rave asked, indignantly.

"Um, you just said it didn't you?"

"No, I mean your full name."

"Err, Nathan Goldberg."

"Well then, Goldberg." Rave snapped. "I don't want to talk to you on a first name basis anymore, you don't deserve that kind of intimacy."

"Intimacy?" Nat questioned with amusement in his tone, "Sweetie, we just fu-"

"Don't finish that fucking sentence you incorrigible bastard! And don't call me sweetie!"

Nat laughed again, even though it was obvious that Rave was angry, Nat couldn't help but find it cute and find riling him up fun. He probably shouldn't, but he just couldn't help it. He got out of bed, butt naked, causing Rave to scream as his eyes went wide.

"P-put some clothes on!" He screeched, his voice cracking slightly, which Nat also found cute, for some reason.

"Why?" He asked caressing the other's cheek in his hand. "This is better, right sweetcheeks?"

Nat's lips edged closer to Rave's. Closer, closer and then - he was pushed away by a very flustered and red faced Rave.

"G-goldberg!" He seethed and Nat swore he saw the boys eyes glow red. "Get the fuck out, right now!"

Before Nat had time to protest, Rave had his clothes in his arms, shoving him with them out of his door and slamming it shut.

Nat proceeded to freak the fuck out as he scrambled to get his clothes on before someone came and saw him. Then when all was said and done and he was able to process what had happened he let out a hearty laugh. That had to be both the best and the strangest one night stands he had ever had. He pressed his back against the wall as he laughed, low and throaty.

The door opened and Nat peered at a still angry looking Rave curiously. The boy handed him a slip of paper. "You better fucking call me." He said and then he opened his mouth, looking as if he was going to say more, but he didn't. He just slammed the door again and Nat heard it lock.

Nat stared down and the paper in his hands that had been crumpled when Rave held it in his fist, a phone number was scrawled out in neat handwriting. Nat smiled, "Wow, he really is a cutie." he breathed before he removed his phone from his pocket (thank god it was still there, that might of been awkward otherwise) and entered the number in before he had the chance to lose it somehow.

Nat couldn't help but laugh again, he was happy again and it was with this spastic guy, how could he possibly feel gloomy with Rave around? Nat smiled wide, it looked like his life was looking up.

* * *

Nat hadn't returned Monday morning, which Jim was expecting because Nat had explained what he was doing last night, much to Jim's thanks, but Plank also had some early morning training that he had to do because his father wanted to train him to be able to get into the army, so Jim was all alone that morning, and likely for the rest of the day. He wasn't particularly upset about it, he'd still have Edd in physics, second and in some other classes as well but he would be a little lonely in physical education all by himself.

Jim had slid on his normal green, wooly jumper and shorts (this time they were light blue) ad began to walk alone to sport. He had never realised how much he had gotten used to being around Plank until he wasn't there. Sure, he didn't speak much but he had always been right there, next to Jim, and he always had to strain his neck to look up at him. It was enough for Plank to just be there, Jim had never really been without him like this in a long time. Well at least not without someone else to distract him.

Jim eventually made it to the change rooms and that was where things got difficult. He was so short that nobody really saw him, he kept getting bumped into and knocked over by the larger boys, another reason not having Plank around kind of sucked. It was when he was knocked over completely and he found himself thinking "Dammit Plank, why aren't you here to save me." That Jim realised he relied on Plank too much.

He didn't mean to, as he had said, he had always just seen Plank as there before and that was enough but now Jim had realised that he needed Plank, or at least he had let himself believe so. But he had spent all of his life before meeting Plank looking after himself so he could do it now and Plank didn't need to always be looking out for Jim, he had enough on his plate already.

Jim stood up with determined eyes and made his way over to his locker. He wouldn't let his size stop him from being strong. He imagined how proud Plank would be when he found out that Jim had done it all on his own. And he wouldn't run away or be worried just because Plank wasn't there to help him. Jim smiled at the thought, Plank would be so happy.

Then all of Jim's dreams came crashing down around him as he felt a shove, hard in his back pushing him with such force he was barely able to keep himself from smashing his head open against the lockers, despite the fact that he had held his hands out in front of him to absorb the impact. He felt his wrists throb as the shock ran through him and his hands became sore. Jim screamed and was just able to turn himself around before he was pushed up against the wall again this time with a less forceful hand, placed on his chest but it still held him there firmly.

"Not so tough without two by four are ya?" A voice said and when Jim was able to open his eyes, closed shut by the pain, he saw a boy with a menacing face, dark curly hair and sinister eyes glaring at him.

"W-who are you? Leave me alone!" Jim was able to shout as he pushed against the larger male but he had Jim pinned, he wasn't going anywhere.

He began to chuckle and Jim looked around with frantic, frightened eyes. Why was nobody trying to intervene? Why were they just letting him do this? Couldn't they see how much bigger than Jim the boy was?

"Don't you remember me, Jimmy? Surely you haven't forgotten me already." At first Jim had no idea what the other boy was talking about but upon further inspection he finally recognized him, how could he forget? This was one of the boys that had picked on him the last time, when Plank had saved him. Ethan, Jim remembered his name to be.

Jim frowned at him, his big eyes becoming slightly teary. "Why are you hurting me? Just let me go, I didn't do anything to you."

Ethan smirked. "Course you did, commoner. You and your brother think you can come here in your fucking rags, stinking up the place and becoming chums with the highest standing people here like two by four and even the prince? Of course someone's gonna wanna beat the shit out of ya. I would've gone for your brother too but the prince has his eyes on him and getting it in shitty with the prince ain't really a good idea."

Jim was so upset. Why was it that all he did was come to school and make friends and now people were out to get him? He never did anything bad to anyone and yet people always did bad things to him. Jim felt anxiety welling up inside his chest, sinking into his stomach and mixing around in there, threatening to come up anytime soon. Jim just wanted to be home right now, with Edd or Plank or Nat and be curled up by a fire, in a normal house, with normal people that didn't judge him, not here.

Ethan pushed him into the locker harder. "Well speak up? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"S-stop...please." Jim spoke trying desperately to stop the tears from flowing out of his eyes. He focused all his energy on keeping them in there. He had to be brave, for Plank, Plank would worry otherwise, so Jim had to be strong. He couldn't cry.

Just then Jim felt Ethan's hand collide with his cheek and his head jerked to the side. It was open-handed and it wasn't as bad as Jim might have imagined it, but he could tell it was only the beginning. He held his tears in.

"Well, is it true that you're a filthy commoner?" Ethan growled, his anger unexplainably rising.

Jim sunk his head in defeat, "I can't help that I don't have money."

Ethan pulled Jim back by his jumper and slammed him into the locker even harder, causing him to cough and splutter. "That's not what I asked! I said, are you fucking filthy commoner scum?"

"Y-yeah" Jim managed weakly.

"Well then, where do you get off making friends with all these people that are far above you?!"

Jim hadn't thought of it that way before. Was it true? Was his presence burdening the others, did it bring their social status down? Jim didn't want to hurt his friends, if he was causing them trouble he'd rather leave them alone. But he'd do anything to stop this, his back hurt so much and he was trying so hard not to cry. Jim said nothing, what could he say?

"Well!?" Ethan screamed as he kneed Jim hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of the smaller boy and causing a few drops to fall from his eyes involuntarily. _No, no, you can't cry._ Jim pleaded with himself._ You can't do it, not know. Otherwise you'll burden Plank._

Again, Ethan yelled, "Well!?" As he drove his knee into Jim again. "Well!?" and again.

The pain was so intense, more then Jim had ever felt before, Ethan wasn't holding up, he felt like his insides were burning but there was nothing he could do about it, eventually he couldn't keep himself together anymore and tears rolled down his eyes.

"STOP IT!" He cried, his voice breaking as he wailed in a high pitch. It hurt so bad, he just wanted it to stop. But Ethan didn't, he just punched Jim in the face causing another broken cry to escape his lips.

"No!" He cried in racking sobs. "Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!"

Finally the striking stopped and Jim had a chance to breath, he gasped in eager and jagged breathes as his tears continued cascading down his cheeks in reckless abandon. He felt as if he might hyperventilate, he felt as if there was suddenly no air. He was going to die, he could feel it, he was dying. Then the pressure was released from his chest and he fell to the ground in a ragdoll like fashion.

He looked up and saw another boy grabbing Ethan's hand, a boy Jim didn't recognize. "I think that's enough, Ethan." He said.

"Pft, Whatever." Ethan replied and with that he turned on his heel and left Jim there, bruised and scarred on the floor.

Soon enough Jim was left alone to trace his slender fingers across the bruises Ethan had left on his fragile body. Every now and then he'd let out one lone sob that seemed to echo infinitely in the empty room. _Sob, breath. Sob, breath, sob._

* * *

"Eddy, you wouldn't happen to know Jim's whereabouts would you?" Edd asked as he saw his friend sucking on a lollipop when he returned to his room.

"Why would I know where your little brother was, Double d?" Eddy said absentmindedly as he pulled the lollipop out of his mouth, it making a popping sound.

"You have a point for once, Eddy. Perhaps it was my alternative to expressing the issue to you directly? I would like to know where he is, I haven't seen him all day."

"What do you mean, for once?" Eddy protested.

"Never mind that Eddy, I am asking for your assistance."

"Well I told ya, I don't know where he is. Look, don't worry, he's probably just off with his friends somewhere. He likes that Plank guy right? He's probably with him."

"Yes, you are likely correct." Edd said with a sigh, " I haven't seen Plank or Nat today at all either, I do hope they didn't skip class together."

"Well would you look at that." Eddy said with a smirk. "It seems your little bro is more badass then you are."

Edd frowned. "That is hardly a thing to celebrate about Eddy. Skipping class is a very foolish thing to do."

"Your one to talk Double hypocrite." Eddy said with a smirk, "Didn't you skip class the second week or so?"

"Yes, well Eddy that was... Eddy when you finally decide to use your hidden wit, it's in spite of me, I should have known." Edd said with a bit of a giggle.

Eddy just poked his tongue out.

"Anyway, Eddy. Didn't you need help with your math homework?"

* * *

Plank was tired from the workout his personal trainer had put him through. He should be used to it by now, he had been doing it since he was a child, they had always wanted to put him in the army, even as a boy but somehow his trainer always found some way to make him hurt in some way. His muscles were taut and sore and he was just all-round beat. He needed a cigarette.

Luckily one was easy to come by even though he hadn't been doing it as much recently as he had before. He lit it up and took a long drag feeling himself calm instantly. He knew that if his trainer or his father found out he was still smoking he'd be in for it, using their last reaction as a gage was enough to figure that out, but Plank didn't care. It calmed him down and helped relieve stress so he'd much rather smoke than be miserable or angry.

It was about one in the afternoon when he got back to the room, not really expecting anyone to be home he walked in, not bothering to turn on the light and without any mind, he slumped himself onto a chair, undoing the first few buttons on his uniform that his stupid trainer made him wear. It looked ridiculous and it would be so much easier to just wear a simple t-shirt with the kind of activities he had to do, but apparently thats what you wore in the army for real so that's what Plank had to wear to train in.

It never would have shown, as Plank had mastered the art of poker-face but when Jim spoke it startled him.

"Hi Plank, you're back." He said in his usual cheery tone. Jim focused hard on keeping himself sounding happy, he couldn't make Plank worry, he looked so tired from all his training, it'd be unfair. "How was your training."

As always, Plank took a while to answer. "It was...challenging." Plank said and he took another puff of his cigarette.

Jim frowned reaching a hand out to try and pull the cigarette away. "Plank you can't smoke inside! You shouldn't smoke at all but if you are going to do it, do it outside!"

Plank never would have noticed if he hadn't seen it and he hated himself for it. Jim was acting like his normal self, cheerful and carefree as always but there, his hand was bandaged and it looked as if the bandages had stains of blood. Anger filled him as he swiftly grabbed Jim's hand, inspecting it.

"Who did this?" He asked, cold with anger, his eyes narrowed and he suddenly stopped caring about the pain in his arms and legs.

"Plank...I was trying to hide it from you, I don't want you to worry about me." Jim started but Plank didn't bother staying around to hear more as he got up and traveled to the entrance of the room in order to switch the light on and that's when he really got mad. Jim's body was black and blue, covered in bruises and patches where a wound had been treated. Plank felt his whole body go rigid with rage.

"Don't worry Plank! I treated the wounds myself, I had to learn how to back when it was just me and Edd, he tried as well but he was never as good at it as I was, but then he was never hurt as much as I was. But that doesn't matter because I'm okay and there's no need to worry, Plank."

Plank ignored him, moving in broad steps back over to the smaller boy as he placed his arms on his shoulders, firmly yet gently. "Who did this to you?" He said again and his voice was more stern. He was no longer asking, he was commanding.

"Plank, you can't-"

"Just give me a name!" Jim was slightly stung by the harshness in Planks voice but he but he knew it was out of care so he complied, not wanting to rile Plank up anymore.

"Ethan, the boy from before. But don't-" Jim started but it was too late, Plank had already turned around and began leaving the room. Jim followed after him having to run to keep up with Planks long strides.

Plank seemed to know exactly where he was going as he swiftly turned corners and walked down alleyways until they were somewhere in the first dormitory again. Somewhere Jim hadn't been.

He kept calling soft contradictions to Planks actions or reaching out to try and grab Planks hand or arm to stop him. He got a hold of one calloused finger once but it quickly slipped free of his grip.

Soon they had reached a door and Plank had made his way straight to the knob, turning it and then finding it locked he literally knocked the door down by slamming into it with his shoulder. Jim's mouth hung open in shock as he saw Plank enter.

Inside, Jim saw an equally shocked Ethan looking up from his bed with a frightful expression on his face. "What the fuck!?" He yelled but Plank wasn't having it.

His fist rose quickly and lashed out as he struck Ethan in the face, causing him to hurtle backwards and slam his head against the wall. Jim really had to protest now.

"No!" Jim yelled as he ran up behind Plank and wrapped his arms around his center trying to hold him back, feebly with his little arms. "Don't do it Plank. He might have done bad things to me, but I don't want you to be just like him. Just like a person that did this to me."

Planks eyes opened in realisation and he suddenly felt all the anger drain from him as it was replaced with guilt. Of course, how could he turn around and show Jim such frightening things when he had already gone through so much, Plank just wanted to hurt whoever had done that to Jim, he wanted to show them what it felt like to be hurt by someone twice your size. It wasn't okay to hurt Jim, never but it also wasn't okay to show this side of him in front of him. Plank felt like such a fool.

He took a deep breath and said to Ethan who was now rubbing his head in pain. "If you lay another finger on Jim. I will kill you." And with that, he turned around and picked the smaller boy up in his arms before carrying him out of the room.

At first it had taken Jim by surprise, but as he got used to it, he slung to arms around Planks neck and rested his head in the crook of Planks neck. He then continued snuggling into Plank as he carried the smaller boy with him back to their room in his arms. Jim said, "Plank."

"Yes?"

"Please don't worry about me too much. Because...because I want to be strong and brave like you and make you proud so that these kinds of things won't happen again and Edd won't have to worry about me, and I'll be able to stand on my own two feet."

Plank said nothing, he simply pressed Jim closer into his body as he felt a warmth rush through his heart.

"Jim, you are already so brave." Plank said but he didn't think Jim had heard it, it was so soft that even with his head right near his mouth, it was impossible to have heard it, actually, Plank wasn't entirely sure he had said it at all.

Jim rested in his bed when he got home, with Plank to look after him.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N So this chapter is the beginning of the psychological drama. There won't be much of it and it will be evenly disperced through other things, so if you don't like it, don't worry. XD Also, this one is a little shorter, sorry guys.  
**

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 7**

It was a Wednesday morning, meaning that Edd would spend his time manipulating chemical formula and becoming further acquainted with valency and bonding. Edd was looking forward to it, he loved the sciences, they were his favourite classes but he was particularly fond of chemistry.

Edd made his way into the classroom as he always did and found his seat near the window so that the sunlight would warm him from the chilly autumn air. He slung his bag off of his shoulders, removing some text books and pens from it before he placed it neatly on the floor next to him. As he sat down, he glanced over to the seat adjacent from him which was uncharacteristically empty and frowned.

Jim was still recuperating in his bedroom so he wasn't in his usual seat. Edd had known that he should look for Jim but Eddy had chased his fears away. Edd supposed, given the circumstances, Eddy was right, he was going off logic where Edd had his own belated sense of intuition but for once, said intuition could be trusted. Edd sighed, there was no point agonizing over the fine details now, he was just glad Plank was there to look after him, Edd had heard that the larger boy hadn't left Jim's side since Monday, when the incident occurred. Edd was glad Jim had such good friends.

Edd sighed, but with Jim incapacitated he could not study and therefore would fall behind, Edd would have to drop in that afternoon in order to catch Jim up.

"Hey Double d, what's up?" Edd turned and saw Kevin smiling at him boyishly, Edd smiled back in pleasantry.

"Nothing much is, "up", Kevin." Edd replied, he didn't have to worry Kevin with his problems. Kevin sat in the chair next to him.

"Well then where's the little guy - what's his name - Jim?" Kevin asked and Edd cursed his powers of observation.

Edd sighed, "Jim is incapacitated at the moment, he won't be able to make it to class for a while."

"Oh" Kevin said, "mind if I take his seat then?"

"It seems to me that you have already taken it." Edd had said, purely out of observation as he opened his text book and flipped to the next blank page.

"You worried, Double d?" Edd, again, cursed Kevin's powers of observation.

"Kevin, my little brother is injured, of course I am. But you needn't worry yourself, I am fine." Edd said with a heavy exhale of breath. To be honest, he wasn't fine, he was very extremely worried and he was unsure if he would be able to work at all that day, he barely made it through the day before. It was just that, Edd couldn't comprehend why the boy, Ethan, he remembered his name to be, would do something so ruthless, unprovoked. It didn't make any sense, sure, according to Jim he had claimed it was because Jim was affiliated with people perceiveably above his social status but that was no reason at all! Edd just couldn't fathom the barbaric nature of the boy, why had he done it, what made him tick?

But of course these thought were pointless even if he were to go up and ask the boy, Edd doubted that he even knew himself, bullies were often like that, so caught up in their own turmoil that they forget what it really is around them. Their actions don't mean anymore then feeding a a machine that hungers for something that has been taken from it. But this level of abuse, what could have possibly happened to him to cause such a violent reaction?

"Hey, I hear ya. I mean, we all understand that right, we all do it." Kevin wasn't do a very good job at expressing himself but Edd excused him for it, he was trying and it was charming to have someone try rather than to simply brush his worries off with a "Get over it Double d" Though Ed had given him a bear hug to make him feel better.

"Thank you, Kevin. You have proven yourself not to be the kind of person I first assumed."

Kevin frowned at him. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean huh?"

Edd giggled. "It means that not just the rich are subject to stereotyping." And then Edd had made himself sad as he remembered what had happened with Jim again. "It seems they aren't the only ones at fault of it."

Kevin turned his head sideways. "You alright?"

Edd managed a believable smile. "I am perfectly fine Kevin, now, the teacher is about to begin the lesson, pay attention."

Chemistry seemed to go past in a breeze, Kevin paired up with Edd because Jim wasn't there and he had spent the whole time listening to Edd re-explain what the teacher had just said in a way that he could understand, he learnt many ways to prevent his own death by mixing two no no chemicals together and also that he might have accidentally done it if he hadn't decided to sit next to Edd that day.

Edd enjoyed teaching Kevin, he always enjoyed teaching and if he take on an occupation in the field of science (he hadn't quite decided what it was he wanted yet) he'd definitely want to become a teacher. Knowledge was everything to Edd and imparting that knowledge on others was something Edd had quickly learnt he loved. When he saw that shimmer in someone's eye when they actually understood something for the first time whether it be in relief understanding when the subject had previously been perplexing or just the joy of learning something new, Edd loved that.

Kevin learnt how to do a number of things that session and seeing Kevin being cheerful in his new knowledge chased the downcast shadows above his head away. Edd was watching Kevin pour HCl into a test tube when Edd noticed, somehow not having before, that Kevin had his hat off. Edd had never seen that before. He assumed it was precious to Kevin, he wore it during baseball and it was a likely substitute for a crown. Kevin wanted to wear a crown whether it was in casual clothing or not. Kevin was the prince of tennis. Edd smiled at the reference to the sports manga he had unintentionally made.

Kevin's hair, without his hat, hung softly in his face, not quite long enough to obscure his vision completely but long enough to get in the way. His bangs naturally grew longer than the rest of his hair and it fell in a decent manner. It framed his face nicely as he poked a tongue out of his mouth in concentration as his eyes watched his hands. Edd noted again that Kevin was attractive, his eyes, forest green and his lips as red as his royal blood. His light dusting of freckles that ran across each cheek and up his nose matched his red hair, veering on strawberry blonde as it was illuminated in the sun trickling in the window. Even his body looked great, his biceps bulged just slightly and his torso was filled out decently, which was something Edd could appreciate.

Edd sighed, Kevin the prince was his friend, what an incredible fluke and here he was lusting after him like some sex-crazed lunatic. Kevin had said he was interested in other men, which Edd hadn't questioned any more about for obvious reasons but Edd couldn't help but wonder what kind of guys Kevin liked. He wasn't like a normal prince so he supposed the rich preppy kind wouldn't be Kevin's cup of tea. Perhaps he liked other baseball players? Whatever it was, he was sure it wouldn't be little old, wide-hipped and thin armed Edd.

Edd's classes passed by quickly and before he knew it, he was able to go visit Jim in his room. Plank had answered the door when Edd had knocked and he let the smaller boy in with a nod. When Jim saw his brother a smile graced his lips. "Hey Edd!"

Edd smiled at his younger brother, bitterly as he saw the bruises and patching again. "Hello, Jim. How are you feeling today?"

Jim smiled big and it made Edd relieved instantly. "I'm feeling fine, but Plank insisted I stay in bed just one more day, he wanted to make sure I was okay."

Edd sighed mixed with a giggle. He was just very glad that Jim had been alright, when he had seen him the night before Jim had been sleeping so Edd had no idea what his physical condition had been. He smiled, "Well that was very kind of him." Edd turned to Plank. "You have my gratitude for taking care of him in my stead."

Jim huffed, "Edd you don't always have to be fussing over me? I'm okay really. I just want to go to class and for things to go back to normal."

Edd nodded. "That is a reasonable request Jim. I shall treat you the same then. Would you like to go for a walk then? I have things I wish to discuss with you."

Jim gave Plank a longing look and after a long pause he nodded and Jim cheered. "Okay Edd, just let me get dressed first."

Edd and Jim walked to Edd's favourite garden on the east side of the school. It seemed that Jim could walk fine, which was good he said he was a little sore though.

The air was cold on Edd's skin. "I have two things I would like to discuss today, Jim." He said, calmly. "First of all I would like to inquire about your attacker, if you are comfortable with it."

Jim gave Edd a smirk, " I thought you were going to treat me like normal, Edd."

Edd felt slightly confronted despite the obvious playfulness in Jim's tone. "I, er yes. I will, I just wanted to get it out of the way now, I am worried about your well being."

"I told you before Edd, I'm fine. I got beat up a bit, it's not like this hasn't happened before, beside I have Plank to look after me, so don't worry."

Edd sighed for what had to be the thousandth time that day.. "I suppose you are right."

"Well then." Jim said with a smile wider than his face deserved or looked capable of. "This other thing you want to tell me about. Is it about Kevin?"

Edd gasped. "H-How did you know Jim?"

Jim smirked. "Nat told me that you and Kevin were paired together today so I assume you have gotten over your avoiding him stage?"

Edd frowned. "I wish you wouldn't talk of it so crudely, but yes. He and I have become acquaintances."

Jim raised an eyebrow. "Just acquaintances?"

"Yes Jim. Nothing more, and I think I'd like it to stay that way."

Jim looked horrified. "But why Edd!? You like him don't you? Why wouldn't you want to get closer with him?"

Edd shook his head. "That is just the problem, Jim." He paused, unsure how to phrase the next part. "He is very attractive, yes and I might be interested in investing more time in him, but I can't." Jim gave him a look. "He's a prince, Jim. One of the highest standings in sociality. And I've just been thinking about what happened to you and what has happened to me in the past and I just can't see it happening. Even if he says he is attracted to men, I'm sure his parents don't approve so it could never be anything long term.

"You can't say that Edd" Jim pouted.

"Well even if they didn't care at all, why would he be attracted to me?" Edd said and his voice was growing more desperate.

Jim looked at him, eyes glistening in a different way then they had before, his old soul brewing in his stomach and peaking through the large green windows. Jim knew then, in that moment what Edd's real problem was and he also knew that he couldn't fix it, no amount of words could fix the real problem, Edd had to do that himself. Jim opened his mouth and it quirked into a large smile again, hiding the hidden secrets of what it knew under the happiness.

"Edd you silly, why are you worry about all those things in the future?" He said as he poked Edd in the forehead. "Look, Kevin likes you enough to spend time with you, so why don't you just spend time with him back and not worry about what will happen in the future. You want to focus on your studies, don't you? Then just do that and spend time with Kevin on the side."

Edd gave him a look like he wasn't convinced. "Honestly, I have Plank and Nat and they don't care that we don't have money. If the prince really had that big an issue with it, don't you think he would be avoiding you or something? Kind of like you did to him. Seems to me like the only one judging someone based on their social status, is you."

That was it. Edd was doing it again. His mind traveled back to the time Kevin had appeared at his door of his own accord and asked to spend time with him, Edd had realised it then too. He was the one making assumptions of Kevin's person based off social status, not him. And hadn't Edd promised to give Kevin a chance, and now look at him.

Edd felt strange and apprehensive, dirty, almost like he had done something wrong. Had he wronged Kevin? Was it really all that unreasonable to want to avoid pain? Was it not what Edd had learnt through his years, being abandoned by his parents and hated by all the children at school. He had believed for the longest of times that the only person he could trust was Jim, so why had things changed now?

_Because Jim had._

Jim was moving on; moving on without Edd. He had began to trust and he had made some very loyal friends in Nat and Plank. That made Edd question why he couldn't achieve the same thing, then he wondered if he actually had, then all the confusion came crashing down around him in a hazy smoke that left him disorientated.

Edd went back to square one. Had he wronged Kevin. Was it wrong...?

_I don't want to hurt._

Was it really so horrible, Kevin probably deserved it, right? Kevin had probably hurt so many people, he probably left so many souls broken in his wake, Kevin deserved it, Kevin needed a taste of his own medicine.

_Have I not hurt people as well?_

Edd wanted a chance but did that really mean Kevin deserved one too? Kevin already had so much more than Edd did so wasn't it just equivalent exchange, when something is gained, something of equal value must be lost. Kevin had given up his right to be trusted for his social ranking.

_But what have I given up._

Edd hadn't had a childhood, his parents had left him to raise his baby brother all by himself, he had been teased and beaten and had to climb out of a pit of despair with his battered and bare hands, barely able to grip onto anything while he held his brother's hand.

_And has Kevin not had hardship too?_

_..._

_Has Kevin not had hardship of a different kind?_

_..._

_I'm a hypocrite._

Edd had spaced out for a while but he quickly snapped back to reality, finding Jim's big green eyes peering at him.

Jim sighed, pityingly. "What do you want, Edd?"

"I am unsure of what I want lately." Edd replied after a moments thought. "I have been debating ethics inside my brain for the last hour or so, that's why I came to you. You're the only one I really trust."

"Edd, this isn't something you can approach from an intellectual level. Emotions aren't that simple. If they were everyone would be writing and reading textbooks on how they work and you'd be getting an A in your "human emotion" class."

Edd gave Jim an unbelieving look. "Sometimes, Jim, you say the most profound things. What is hiding in that brain of yours?"

Jim giggled, back to his normal self in no time. "All kinds of things." He announced happily.

Edd got up. "Jim I think I will do what you say and just allow things to go along as they please. I can't really think my way out of this, there is no right or wrong answer with these kinds of things. Thank you." Edd groaned angrily at himself. "I really shouldn't rely on you so much should I?"

Jim giggled. "No you shouldn't. Naughty boy."

They walked back to Jim's room together where Edd dropped his little brother off before making his way to his own room and finishing off some homework before falling asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N This is the last time I'm going to do warnings. THERE IS SEX AND SWEARING AND LOTS OF OTHER STUFF IN THIS FIC. There we go :D**

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 8**

"You are going where?" Edd inquired as he watched Eddy put things into a elongated bag.

"We are going to go see mummy, Double dee!" Ed announced excitedly.

"I understand that much, Ed. But why is Eddy accompanying you?"

"Are you kidding? There's no way this goof can make it on his own. His mum threatened me with my life if I didn't." Eddy said irritably and Ed giggled.

"How long will the two of you be?" Edd asked in a concerned tone. Even he would miss the two idiots if they left for a long while.

"Don't worry Double dee, we'll be back before you can say gravy potatoes." Ed said with a strangely satisfied expression on his face.

"We'll just be gone for the weekend. Ed's mum wants to check up on him, I'm sure you know why, Double d, you're a smart kid."

"Very well Eddy, Ed." Edd said softly. Within an hour or so they had left.

He wasn't looking forward to spending the weekend alone but he supposed

* * *

Kevin sighed as he stared at the roof. What was Edd thinking? Was he really straight? Kevin had thought so at first but that was really just an excuse he told himself so that he wouldn't have to man up and ask the guy out. But then he had got to know him and he was sure Edd digged him... maybe he had been so completely wrong. Maybe he should just move onto someone else, there were plenty of fuckable guys and girls in Alter Waters.

"Damn." Kevin whispered to himself in realisation.

When he thought about it there was just no way he was going to get what he wanted. Edd was too cautious to give himself up to casual sex especially not at the hands of Kevin. Kevin liked Edd, he was a great guy but he really doubted he was going to get anywhere with it soon so it was pointless to think about it all the time. But Kevin couldn't keep himself sexually frustrated forever, he had to move on right? Right and that meant trying to find someone new to fuck which meant going to parties. Kevin knew the Cankers would probably have something going on this weekend, they always did but Kevin wondered who was going that he hadn't already been with. Not that he had anything against that in particular, he wasn't one of those guys that thought "no one person twice" but he didn't really want to drag up old bitter memories.

Perhaps someone new and cute would catch his eye and he'd be able to get his mind off of things for a while, that would probably be the best possible situation.

"Kev, what are you doing to yourself?"

* * *

Rave didn't like what he was seeing, not at all. He was at half a mind to just turn around and walk away but he knew he couldn't, he was already running late for his drama class and there was no way in hell he'd let fucking Nathan Goldberg come between him and the only thing that brightened his day. But the green haired bastard was walking his smug ass over toward Rave right now and he didn't know what else he could do but gag.

"Hey babycakes, what's up?" Nat said with a sly grin placed on his lips, his hands sunk low into his pocket as he slouched his back and his hair was gelled up not like Rave had seen it the morning Nat had woken up in his room.

"Your pet names are so extraordinarily vexatious I want to vomit. Don't ever call me that again, also fuck off, I need to go to drama."

If Nat had told you that that didn't sting, he'd be lying but that was what he liked about Rave. He wasn't easy, in fact if Rave wasn't so horribly adverse, Nat probably wouldn't be interested in him at all. Of course with Rave the way he was, it just made teasing him all the more enjoyable.

"What's a matter Rave, I thought you wanted to see me again." Nat cooed as he followed the seething boy in front of him.

"I told you to call me, not wait for a couple of days then stalk me in the hall on my way to class. But I realise giving you my number was a mistake too, if you'd delete it, I'll really appreciate it." Rave just wanted Nat to get lost, he didn't have time to deal with his irritating drunken mistakes right now, he had rehearsal to do and if he wasn't in Alter for theater what was he here for? Nothing, that's what.

"Hey, don't be like that." Nat said and the fact that his voice was still silky smooth despite the fact Rave had done his best at insulting him without outright calling him a chicken-fucking and vivacious blitheness that was overly cool and composed and needed to get giant dildo shoved up his ass or shut the fuck up. But as misanthropic as Rave was, he wasn't so bitter that he'd ever insult someone so absurdly.

"I didn't call you because I didn't want to push myself on you, thought this would be better, you know?" Rave glanced sideways at him as he caught up with him.

"How considerate." He said, only a lot sarcastic.

Rave sped up, hoping he could somehow loose Nat in a crowd or something.

"Hey, hey. Slow down, dude. What's the hurry?"

"I told you, Goldberg." Rave replied, not turning around. "I have to go to drama class now."

"Really?" Nat asked, intrigued. "What are you doing in drama?"

"We're sitting around and talking about how much we like our pet-fucking-cats." _Rave's_ s_arcasm level has increased._ "What do you think we're doing?"

Nat laughed at himself a bit for asking what he just realised was kind of a stupid question. "Then, can I watch you act?"

Rave was so shocked he stopped. "What?" He asked blinking. Had Goldberg really just asked that... but why? What was that asshole up to?

"You heard me, I want to watch, that's cool right?"

Rave had no idea how to react. "Yeah, I mean I don't give a shit if people want to watch me, it's just gonna be rehearsals, but don't you have a class or something?"

"Yeah, but watching you sounds more fun." Nat said with an irritating as fuck smile and Rave wanted to go bury his head in the ground somewhere and shout until he fucked up his larynx.

"Whatever." He mumbled as he sped up yet again and Nat was nearly running to keep up with him.

"Jesus how fucking long are your legs? Slow down will ya?"

Rave ignored him.

"Well if you want to hurry up so bad, why don't I race ya?"

Rave considered it for a moment, and then he sprinted.

"Hey!" Nat grinned as he began to chase after Rave who was jumping through the gaps in between people and using his flexibility he got from doing yoga every morning. He wouldn't turn down a challenge even one by Goldberg, besides he might be able to lose him in the crowd so that he didn't have to see his fucking stupid, smug yet incredibly sexy face around while he was trying to act.

Rave could hear Nat giggling in behind him. "Your fast but it seems I can catch up with you." The voice was closer than Rave had expected, he felt the warmth of a breath on his lower neck and shivered a bit as he ran then he caught Nat's shadow running swiftly behind him and he sped up, pushing forward full speed ahead.

He had reached the point where he could no longer maneuver in between people at the speed he was traveling so he screamed "Get out of my way you fucking assholes!" They did, making disgusted grunts at him or his language or something, but making disgusted grunts.

Soon enough he veered on the drama room and grinned. "Looks like you lose Goldberg!" He said as he slipped through the door laughing to himself. Nat slowed down and smiled to himself and shook his head. Rave was something else, he jogged in after him happily.

* * *

Plank carried Jim on his shoulders as he power walked down the forest trail the couch had assigned him to.

"Plank, I don't think the coach meant me when he told you to get a thirty five kilogram weight." Jim said with a smiley giggle as he plonked his chin on top of Plank's head. Plank didn't reply. "Besides aren't I supposed to be exercising too?"

Plank didn't reply again for a while but managed in a huff. "No...still...hurt."

"Oh I am not!" Jim said playfully but then he pulled his arms around Plank's forehead in a makeshift hug. "Thank you for caring about me Plank, besides I don't really want to walk anyway."

Plank gave grunt that Jim translated to "Exactly, now quit complaining." And Jim gave a little giggle.

Jim noticed some birds flying above him as their shadows crossed over his face for a brief moment as they zoomed past. He heard them chirp a song and smiled. He really was glad that he wasn't walking, he loved the forest area that existed on the west side of the school, it was very lush and green, green was Jim's favourite colour. He liked the sounds of the birds as well and the distant sound of a stream crawling along the ground. It was very tranquil and he almost wished Plank would slow down so that they could just enjoy it.

"Nat wasn't in art today." Jim said idly. Plank didn't reply but Jim knew he was waiting for Jim to say more. "Do you know where he went. Maybe he's sick?"

This would be something Plank would have answered if he had known the answer, but Nat hadn't told him anything, not that they talked very often anyway. He had become very distant, Plank had noticed since the breakup with Kevin happened. Jim didn't know about that of course, Nat had chosen not to tell him. Plank was almost tempted to simply explain it to the younger boy on his shoulders but he knew he could never do that and for now Jim wasn't worrying so there was no need for Plank to overreact about it again.

He said. "I don't know. I'm sure he's fine. Probably just cutting class."

Jim sighed, "Yeah you're probably right. I wish he wouldn't do that, school is important."

"You sound like Edd."

Jim smiled. "Well Edd practically raised me, I'm bound to sound like him some of the time. But it's true isn't it? If you don't learn you can't have a good job when you're older."

Plank said nothing, not willing to ruin Jim's healthy outlook on life. It was a good philosophy for a commoner to have, Plank knew that. For nobility it was different though, they didn't know the meaning of work unless they were a military family like Plank's was, then you had to work a hell of a lot.

To be honest Plank didn't find the idea very fair, but nothing in plutocratic society was. Fairness was a quality unknown to the rich, it seemed to Plank.

"Hey Plank." Jim called, shaking Plank from his reverie.

"Yes?"

"Do you ever think about what it might be like if we met somewhere else? Like if you were raised in a common family or I was raised in a noble one, and we met when we were children. What do you think we would be like now?"

Plank couldn't say he had, it wasn't something he often thought about. His class mattered little to him, when he was honest. He tried thinking of it then. What would it be like? Perhaps they'd be talking twenty four seven rather than Plank's eerie silence. But to be honest he kind of preferred it this way, he liked listening to Jim talk without having to worry about replying himself. Jim was the first one to actually do it, then he was the first to actively try speaking to him directly. Jim was special, Plank knew that. Would it be the same if they had met somewhere else and known each other for longer?

"I'd still be carrying you now." Plank said and it was quite deliberately left to interpretation. He didn't ever want to say the wrong thing to Jim. It was probably stupid, but in the month or so Plank had known him Jim had brightened up his life. Before the school had been filled with money-hungry, power-obsessed nobles and they made Plank feel bitter. But Jim was so cheerful and innocent and naive, he had wanted to protect him straight away because part of Jim had reminded him of Johnny but he had learnt so much about Jim and how fragile and caring he was. Plank could never break him like he had so many others. He could never allow Jim to be tainted by Alter Waters, he had to protect him, at all costs.

"Yeah, we'd be the best of friends, wouldn't we?"

* * *

Kevin wanted to leave. He was drunk, very, very drunk. He had a vodka shot in one hand and a blonde chicks ass in the other and he had no idea what to do with either. The girl seemed nice enough, she was after casual sex which was no big deal but as Kevin had started getting into it he realised how little he actually wanted to be here.

"Godammit!" Kevin screamed suddenly, alerting several people around him who took one or two steps back. "I came here to forget him and now he's all I can think about!"

Edd's hair and eyes and skin and clothes and voice and personality and awkwardness and eagerness to teach and to look after his little brother. Kevin liked Edd far more than he was willing to admit sober, but he couldn't like Edd in that way, not after what had happened with Nat, he didn't want to fuck up again. He had fucked up too many times in the past and screwed too many people over to do it with Edd now, Edd deserved better than Kevin. He deserved someone cool, like Nat. They were perfect for eachother! Kevin had decided in perfect drunken logic. He thought about setting them up but the idea made feel sick and he could tell it wasn't just the vodka.

"Hey." The blonde said. "You scared me for a second there." She giggled, fake and irritating. "You're really drunk, aren't you?"

Kevin squinted at her, just unsure what to make of the busty woman that was leaning on him. He didn't have time for her, couldn't she see he was having a midlife crisis? She suddenly looked repulsive to him, he shoved his palm in her face, squashing her cheeks as he stood up and pushed her out of the way, saying. "Get outta my way you fucking whore."

He stumbled toward the door and out into the hall, leaving the woman red faced and angry as he felt slightly hypocritical. He somehow managed to make his way to Edd's room not really remembering how in his drunkenness.

He knocked on the door. "Come out here, dork!" He bellowed with a hiccup.

He heard some clatter and then some footsteps before a shaky voice called out "W-who is it?"

Kevin frowned. "It's me Double dweeb! Kevin, the prince! Don't forget your future king you fu-" he hiccuped. "-cking bastard!"

The door opened and Kevin spotted Edd in pajamas and grinned widely. "Hey sexayyy-" He say dragging the end of the word out far too long before giggling and nearly falling over.

"Kevin! You are very inebriated! I can smell it on your breath. What are you doing here? And why are you drinking underage?" Edd asked all at once, Kevin frowned at him.

"Don't be such a prude."

"Actually, Kevin, a prude is-"

"Are you going to let me in or what-?"

Edd sighed, "Very well." He stepped aside and Kevin stumbled inside with a happy smile on his face.

"Where's Eddy and th'other Ed?" Kevin asked, looking around himself curiously.

"They have gone to visit Ed's mother." Edd explained and then he continued. "Kevin, why have you come here in such a state?"

Kevin looked at Edd as if he were the most stupid person on earth. "Isn'tit obvious? I came to see you."

Edd was taken aback. "R-really?"

"Yeah, because, because I tried to get drunk and to try and fuck people but I can't because all I can think about is you, dork."

Edd felt something constrict in his chest. "Well, er. Kevin, I am very flattered."

As you should be, Kevin said getting up and slinking himself over to Edd before throwing two arms over his shoulders. "As ya should be. Now c'mere."

Luckily Edd was able to deflect Kevin's puckered lips with his hands. "Kevin I would rather not kiss you when you are drunk."

Kevin groaned in loud protest. "Aw c'mon babe!" He leaned on top of Edd receiving him a frustrated gasp.

"Kevin, please! Would you just return to your own room until you have sobered up!?" He snapped angrily and Kevin gave him an unbelieving look.

"You just yelled at me." He said.

"Well yes, Kevin. That happens when you don't listen."

Kevin grinned wide and pulled Edd into a hug. "Edd you are so cute when you get angry!"

"Kevin! Get off!"

"No way dork, I'm never letting you go ever again!"

Edd sighed, it looked like there would be nothing he could do to keep Kevin off of him so he gave up. Stopping all physical resistance and allowing Kevin to drag him toward his bed, but then something clicked in his brain. Kevin was dragging him toward a bed.

"Kevin, no!" He protested.

"Shhh!" Kevin hushed in his ear. "Double-fucking-cutie. We're just going to sleep. You want me to be sober, well I'll be when I wake up."

Edd might of protested some more, perhaps more vehemently but he didn't because Kevin had pulled Edd into another tight hug as he flopped them both onto the bed. Edd was really in a predicament now. Kevin's arms were strong and Edd felt the strength of Kevin's bicep as it pressed into him, causing a slight blush to cross his cheeks.

Kevin's hands moved down toward Edd's hips and Edd had to grab them and pull them back as he heard Kevin giggle like an idiot behind him.

"Kevin, if you would like to co-occupy my bed with me tonight you must promise to keep your hands within tasteful regions."

"Tease."

"No, Kevin. You are simply intoxicated."

Then Edd heard the last drunken giggle he would from Kevin that night, as the larger boy drifted off into sleep leaving Edd awake with himself.

He tried getting to sleep as well at first but it was so hard and unfamiliar with Kevin's arms wrapped around his stomach. He could feel Kevin touching him whenever he breathed along with the constant presence of Kevin's chest against Edd's back. Having another human in his bed with him proved more troublesome than Edd might of imagined.

Eventually, however, he was able to sleep as his chest moved up and down in time with Kevin. Maybe it wasn't so bad, to have Kevin here like this and to actually believe his drunken babbling. Maybe that was okay because Edd sure as hell didn't want to worry about it. Things had gotten so hard since he had gotten here but maybe that was all about the way Edd perceived it. Kevin wasn't so bad, even when he was dead-drunk. Edd decided to enjoy it while he could. He wanted to be happy, there was no need to be so afraid. He brought his hands up and wrapped them around KEvin's cuddling them into him and he felt so warm as he dozed quietly off to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 9**

Kevin woke up with a thumping head in an unfamiliar bed. His arms felt sore yet strangely empty as if someone had been in them just moments ago. He squinted out into the world and noticed that he wasn't in his room. He was next to two other beds, the one he was placed in had light trickling in through the window next to it and there was a TV in front of the one at the opposite side of the room.

"Where am I?" He said in a groggy morning voice. He pulled the covers off and saw that he was still in his clothes, had he not changed before getting into bed? Kevin idly remembered going out drinking last night but not much other then that as he pulled the covers off of his feet and felt the cold on them instantly as he swung them out the side and placed them on the cold floor, causing him to flinch slightly.

He heard the door open.

"Good morning Kevin." Edd said with a smile with two coffee mugs in his hand. "I brought you a coffee, the caffeine will help with your hangover though I suggest you take some painkillers, but I got it because I thought you might want to wake yourself up a little more before you head out to practice."

"Shit!" Kevin said, "It's Saturday isn't it? What time is it?" Kevin asked frantically.

"Relax Kevin, it is only nine o'clock I'm sure there is still time."

"Yeah, two hours." Kevin said breathing out, "Wait, how do you know I got practice today? And more importantly how the fuck did I get in your room?!"

"Well," Edd said as he handed Kevin the coffee he had brought in and took a sip of his own. "It is no secret that the baseball team practice on Saturday mornings, so that question is easily answered. As for how you got here, you wandered in here last night in a drunken stupor and refused to leave."

Kevin looked shocked, "I didn't, did I?"

Edd gave a little give, flashing his gap-toothed smile. "You did."

"Shit." Kevin ran a hand through his hair, "Did, I say anything, er, weird?"

Edd looked at him with a shitty smirk on his face and Kevin wished he didn't find it as attractive as he did on the boy. "You opened our conversation, after swearing at me profusely to open the door, with 'Hey sexayyy'" Edd's imitation of Kevin's words was done in monochrome and it made listening to it even more unbearable. He literally cringed.

"I - really?" Kevin asked with a tired sigh.

"I assure you Kevin, you said it. Remember, I was not inebriated, therefore I should remember."

Kevin frowned, it might not be as obvious to everyone but Edd was having way too much fun with it. "Did, I do anything with my hands?"

"Whatever do you mean Kevin?" Now he was being sarcastic?

"I didn't even know you were capable of derision you little shit. Now answer me Double dork!" He was grinning wide a big now and Edd was grinning back.

"You tried" He said, "I stopped you though, don't worry, my innocence was kept in tact."

"Well I'm glad." Kevin said bringing an abrupt end to the conversation.

Kevin really hated it when that happened. When conversations suddenly ended just like - boom, and we're done. It was so annoying and always awkward afterwards and Kevin was left scratching the back of his neck like a complete tit not knowing what to say or how to act. When he was younger it didn't matter because he only really talked to Nazz and made fun of everyone else. Now though, when he understood things like socializing (at least a degree more) it wasn't quite so easy. And it wasn't like he could go now and push Edd into a puddle then expect a fuck out of him.

Triumphantly for Kevin, however, Edd struck up conversation again. "So Kevin, Baseball is very important to you, yes?"

Kevin took a sip of his coffee, watching Edd over the cups rim. "Yeah." He replied.

"Well then, would you mind if I came to your next match? I would like to watch you play."

Kevin was genuinely surprised, "You wanna watch me play? What for?"

"Well, Kevin." Edd said with a shy smile. "I've decided that I should probably be contributing more to this friendship. I thought I might work with your interests this time?"

Kevin smiled wide and said "Sure, man! Next Saturday is our next game and it's a home game so you should definitely come along and give me some moral support."

Edd smiled back "Certainly, Kevin. I shall be there."

* * *

"Why are you following me again?" Rave asked irritably.

Nat said, "Isn't it obvious, your performance was so impressive yesterday, I had to come and watch again."

Rave eyed him, "I'm sure even you can come up with some excuse better than that, stalker."

"Well how about this, you are so incredibly beautiful with your eyeliner and weird haircut and skinny hips and slender legs that I just had to follow you around everywhere you go."

Nat was having fun bantering with Rave as always but Rave's performance the last time had really been great. Rave had this very distinct acting style and Nat fell in love with the way you could literally see Rave's face fall into another character before he acted out a scene. He could be broad, taking larger steps with a masculine strut or he could be petite and feminine, his voice could also fluctuate between the two when he sung. And that was another thing, his voice was beautiful. It wasn't extraordinary when Nat was being honest, it was a pretty default male voice and Rave missed notes a lot of the time especially when trying to hit those higher notes. But what he lacked in finesse he made up for in style. He was great at changing his voice in ways that really encapsulated something. He could say one word and mean a hundred more and when that same principle mixed together with his singing and that mixed with his acting, it was quite the spectacle.

"Sarcasm isn't your colour, Goldberg. Besides, that sounds pretty accurate to me." Rave said.

"And so what if it is? You love the attention don't you?" Rave couldn't help but quirk his lips up into a slight smile. Nat was good at this game, Rave would give him that. He knew how to maneuver conversations in certain directions and that was a talent to have, but he wouldn't let Nat win so easily.

"I think it's less about what I love and more about what you do. Anyone would think your a masochist."

Rave was feeling pretty smug and proud of himself when Nat surprised him, yet again. In fact the next comment through him right on his head. "Yeah, I am. You think I haven't come to terms with that already?"

Rave was gaping, genuinely and physically shocked. "W-what?!"

A stupid, irritating, incredibly sexy smirk spread across Nat's face like wild fire and Rave felt like he had just been set on fire and needed to be put out. "You heard me."

Each word sounded like they deserved their own sentence just to highlight them despite the fact the passed through his head quickly. They made him shiver in a way he would never admit, but Nat caught the body language with a keen eye. And then, one of Nat's hands was on Rave's shoulder, studying him and forcing him to face Nat full on despite the fact that Rave was slightly taller than Nat and his other was ghosting down Rave's arm, leaving goosebumps in his soft touch's wake. It returned higher and weaved it's way in between Rave's arm and his torso, this time dancing softly down his ribs in a strange, sensual manner, it landed and rested on Rave's hip before hooking around it and pulling Rave flush against him.

Rave was lost in the moment, he was so shocked at the suddenness of what was happening he couldn't think to stop it. Nat's hand left his shoulder and gripped his chin, tilting his chin down as he leaned in toward Rave's face. His breath was hot and smelt like mint, Rave assumed he had recently brushed his teeth or had been chewing on some gum moments before. The feeling was cool on his skin and if the puff of breath was any higher, Rave was sure his eyes would have dried out causing him to blink, luckily it didn't though because the were currently trained on Nat's lips as they moved closer to him, the details of the pink skin, slightly dried but glossy with dabs of saliva got more refined as they did. Rave swallowed and he almost didn't notice that the forest fire had jumped to his cheeks and lit them up, warm and rosy. Then, when their lips finally brushed up against each other, the spark shot up through his feet setting his entire body ablaze.

And that was around the time Rave wanted to die by choking on his own vomit, he didn't want to stop kissing Nat though even though he had become suddenly aware that they were doing it in a hallway, in front of so many people, some of which had stopped to watch the spectacle unfolding in front of them. He had too incredibly strong forces pulling him on two different directions. One was lust and it's intentions were obvious: "Strip him! Do it here and fuck him into the wall! People watching will only make it better!" But the other and thankfully for Rave, this was also a rather strong force when it came to making decisions, was a mixture of rationale, cynicism and embarrassment, screaming "Get the fuck outta here, Rave! Abort ship! All men for themselves! It's world war three hide your wives and get to your battle stations!"

His body felt like it was literally being torn in two as he didn't stop kissing Nat, right there in front of everyone with their bug-fucking-eyes watching and gawking like fucking baby magpies looking at worms. If his mouth wasn't preoccupied and his tongue wasn't, right now, focused on smashing Nat's tongue down because the asshole thought he could fucking hold his tongue down as they kissed (It was world war tongue on the inside of their mouths and world war "I hate making decisions" on the outside.) He would yell at them all to fuck off.

He turned his head sideways, deciding that beating Nat in his little game was more important than dealing with the people watching right now, to give him more leverage as he wrestled Nat's tongue into submission. He kept trying to send telepathic messages to Nat, saying "I will not be submissive, you asshole." as he did, trying to assert his dominance but failing miserably. When Nat finally pulled away, cupping Rave's now anal-retentive-baby-face in his hands, Rave could see the smugness in his tightened mouth line. He frowned, disapprovingly, Nat had won goddammit.

"Jesus what was that. Most passionate kiss I've ever seen, and between two dudes, wow man, ruins my idea's of the future." Rave heard a voice speak somewhere in the crowd and he wanted to laugh but he wouldn't, the gods of cynicism wouldn't allow it and they were constantly watching. Besides he also had to deal with Nat right now, if he laughed the fucking idiot might think what he just did was okay.

"Can girls get boners?" A female voice called and Rave found his sense of humour that had been pushed to the top of his brain in all the confusion of the kiss and shoved it back down into the darker areas of his brain, where it belonged.

Finally he was ready, he turned and seethed at Nat. "If you ever do that a-fucking-gain-"

"Come watch my baseball game next Saturday and I won't do that ever again." Nat interrupted Rave and then with raised eyebrows he added. "Or I'll do it again. Whichever you prefer."

Rave wouldn't loose again so easily. "No way. How about, if you do it again, I'll punch you in the face? Incentive enough to stop?"

Nat replied, "How about, if you go through today's rehearsal without messing up any of your lines, next saturday is all yours to apply all the eyeliner and pamper yourself up, all you want. If not, you come watch the manly men do there thing."

Rave snorted, "You're hardly a manly man, Nat, you barely pass as a feminine one so don't give me that bullshit. But..." Rave thought it was a chance to prove to Nat that he wasn't going to take his shit all the time and that he was a very strong independent (black woman) person. "Fine, you're on."

At first, Rave was feeling confident at first, but as he walked out onto stage and saw Nat there looking as if he had already one he was filled with rage. That smug fucking piece of disincorporated Jock could eat a dick. Of course Rave's emotions were no longer anywhere near level enough for acting, an art which required falling into another's emotional state and circumstances. He yelled his first line like a baboon in mating season and found himself very distraught when he saw the satisfaction on Nat's face.

"Looks like you're with the "Barely passable femme" next Saturday, babe."

"I fucking hate you Goldberg!" Rave, yelled frustratedly.

"Don't be like that, sweet-Chinese-dumplings."

"You fucking whore!"

Nat's laughter could be heard echoing around the empty hall.

* * *

"Oh! There's going to be a baseball game? How exciting!" Jim yelled as Edd explained the news to his younger brother and plank. "Plank, we should go."

Plank looked between Edd and Jim as if he wasn't expecting to be dragged into the conversation and then settled on staring at Edd with pleading eyes that said "Please get me out of this. Please get me out of this."

"I believe Jim asked you a question, Plank."

"S-sure." Plank managed finally in a weak voice. Edd giggled, his brother had Plank wrapped around his little pinky, it was a nice change from the usual negative responses he got when he tried to make friends.

"Cool!" Jim shouted excitedly. "Kevin's going to be playing right? And Nat too then? He said he was going to this game, right Plank?" Plank nodded. "Great, this'll be so much fun and this school is so rich I bet you'll have a hotdog guy like at real games and it'll all be for free!" Then Jim added softly "except for the hotdogs."

Edd smiled. "You certainly are very elated by this, Jim. If I had known you were so enthusiastic about baseball, I would have told you far sooner."

Jim said in reply, "It isn't the baseball I'm excited about, it's that our friends will be playing. We get to see them doing what they love and we get to support them as well. Sometimes just being there will make them play better, don't you want to contribute to something like that, Edd? I definitely want to be there for Nat."

Edd and Plank exchanged looks, they were both thinking the same thing. Jim had such a refreshing view on things, on everything. Of course his positivity was a little more common when it came to baseball but the way he expressed himself was endearing to say the least.

"Yes, Jim." Edd smiled. "I want to be there for Kevin. Actually I wanted to be there to see why he was so interested in it, but support is a good reason too. Kevin said something about it."

"Well of course. When they know you're in the crowd watching, they can't loose right in front of you so they get all pumped up so that they can impress you and then when they do win you can be there to congratulate them and then everyone feels warm and fuzzie."

"Interesting theory, Jim." Edd said and Jim had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Well what if the game is lost."

"Then you are there to show them that they did impress you even though they lost and then they'll learn to appreciate the game and stop being vain." Jim giggled. "I'm a poet and I don't know it! Anyway, that's what always happens in the baseball movies."

Edd frowned, "There are baseball movies?"

"Of course."

"What an absurd thing to make a movie about." Edd commented and Jim laughed at his brother.

"Once you see them play, you'll understand."

Edd didn't quite get it but he was sure he could trust Jim's judgement. Well relatively sure, Jim was filled with childish naivety. Edd was never sure how that way of thinking could bias.

Jim got up. "Edd I'm going to go get hot chocolate, would you like a coffee?"

"Yes please, Jim." Edd replied and he ran off.

Edd then turned his attention to Plank. The man was very outwardly intimidating, scars, piercings and his burly build were just some contributors to that aspect but as you got to know him you discovered he had a very mild temperament most of the time. Jim had discussed times when he had also seen Plank display fits of voracious anger but Edd had never seen them and. being honest, he couldn't really imagine them though he was sure they happened. Plank seemed to be a mystery, Edd wondered what tinkerings were going on in his head.

"Plank, do you not like baseball?" Edd asked referring to the look he just then began to worry he had interpreted right.

Plank cast his glance sideways for a moment, then said. "No, can't say I do. I wouldn't mind it if the games didn't go on for as long as they do but Jim probably won't want me talking, even though I don't do that very often anyway, so I'll get bored."

"I see your point but my! That is the most amount of words I've ever heard you announce in one sitting. You seem to be healthily talkative now, Plank."

Plank said nothing, casting his gaze sidewards again.

"Oh dear, Plank! I did not mean to make you self conscious." Edd said immediately after he realised what he had done. "I understand that baseball games sound to be boring, I feel the same but it is as Jim says, we are there to support people. I'm there for Kevin and you are there for Jim."

Plank looked up and nodded, his stoic expression placed back neatly on his face.

"I am glad that he has you Plank and I thank you for all you've done for him thus far. He just recently caught me up entirely on the ordeal he faced in the beginning of this week. You understand he hasn't had many friend prior to our attending this school so it is verbicide to claim that I am simply "grateful" or that you are a simple "friend". This also puts a lot of pressure on you, however." Edd smiled warmly. "Please remain Jim's friend for a long time, you have already done so much, but stay by his side, I think he needs you."

Hearing Edd's speech, the words Plank said were ones he had never wanted to say more. They were easy.

"Of course I will."


	10. Chapter 10

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 10  
**

Edd was examining himself in the mirror. It was a strange feeling, what should one wear to a baseball game played by nobility? He wondered. He didn't attend many sports games back at home but would the dress code not be entirely different when it came to baseball games in Alter Waters anyway? He had no idea what would be acceptable, adjusting to the new aristocratic culture was harder than Edd had originally anticipated.

"Geez Double d, it's just a baseball game? Why are you so worried about how you look for?" Eddy groaned as he watched Edd hold different pieces of clothing against his body.

Edd sighed, "Eddy, even the simplest in your wardrobe is a fancy piece from mine. I have to consider these things. As a commoner it is hard to impress people here."

Eddy crossed his arms over his chest, "Who says ya gotta impress them?"

"Eddy, I am in the most prestigious of all schools in this area, I have to prove that I belong here. I think you take far too much for granted."

Eddy shrugged, "Maybe, anyway just through on what you usually wear, it should be fine."

Edd smiled "Thank you, Eddy."

Edd met up with Jim and Plank outside their room. Plank was wearing his usual expensive looking brown waist-coat that looked to be custom made with a little more edge, making it fit Plank's sharp features better. Jim was wearing his usual clothes and bright smile as he came bounding out, an air of excitement about him.

Edd was happy to see them and they started up idle chatter as they began to make their way to the field in which the baseball game would be held.

* * *

Rave continued loathing his situation as he searched through his wardrobe for some clothes to put on. Why did Nat have to be such an asshole? Why would Rave want to spend a couple of hours watching a group of guys hit a ball with a bat and run? Nat was playing and that made it worse. If he expected Rave to cheer for him on the sidelines whenever he scored a goal (or however the fuck baseball worked) he was wrong. Rave would sit there and stare (at Nat's ass) at him just so he would know how much Rave wasn't enjoying himself, that bastard hadn't gotten the best of him yet.

As he stared at his slender and naked form in the mirror, he picked out some thin material and tight fitting clothes which he slid on before he went to apply some eyeliner. When he was younger and her first started experimenting with makeup he used to get teased for it a lot. People just didn't understand why a boy would wear it and Rave didn't understand why they didn't. It was his attraction to theatre that lead him to it. Makeup was essential not only in plays and musical productions but movies as well. You could reshape someone's features and exaggerate their form to all kinds of wonderful effects. At first he'd try the more costume looks like the makeup in Cats and the Rocky Horror Picture Show but it soon lead him to experiment with all kinds of things and eventually lead him to wear eyeliner in everyday situations. He liked the darkness it gave his eyes, making them look more exaggerated by lighting, it made them pop. It made most eyes pop, that's what eyeliner was for, it had nothing to do with being a boy or a girl ( though it could be used to illustrate that too).

Rave sighed, then was the time to have an internal debate about the ethics of makeup, he had to go make his way to Nat's stupid baseball game.

* * *

"I didn't expect it to be this big." Jim exclaimed "This school is too much sometimes."

"I agree, Jim." Edd said nodding as they began to climb the steps of the bleachers that they would sit on while they watched the game unfold. "It is a sight, not as big as the stadiums were professional games are played but far bigger than any other school game I have attended."

"And how many were there of them?" Jim asked in reference to Edd's comment about high school games.

"Not very many." Edd admitted. "But, I am sure the experience I have with them is sufficient."

Jim giggled as they chose some seats to sit down in, Plank sat next to Jim and Jim sat next to Edd. The seats were relatively empty when they got there, there were a couple of other people around but not many. Edd supposed they were early, but Kevin had said eleven, had he been mistaken?

"Hey Double dork." Edd heard Kevin's voice speaking directly into his ear as two hands landed on his shoulders.

Edd screamed, "Jesus and Mary!" and Kevin cackled behind him as did Jim and even Plank gave a small smirk.

"Do not do that to me, Kevin!" Edd protested as his heartbeat steadied.

Kevin gave few more laughs and shot him a lopsided grin, "Sorry, couldn't resist."

"Well I implore you learn to resist, Kevin. Are you not meant to be playing a baseball?" Edd said still slightly cross at Kevin for getting Edd's heart lodged in his throat.

"Yeah well it don't start for another thirty minutes. Sorry, I kinda got you to come early, I wanted to see you before I went on." He smiled sheepishly, "And you've brought Jim and Plank too?"

"Hi Kevin!" Jim said as if it weren't the first time they had ever conversed and they had been buddies for months now. "I just had to come along when I heard about the game and I dragged Plank along with me." He gave a little giggle. "I wanted to support you and Nat so try your best out there and Edd and I will be cheering on the sidelines for you!"

Kevin snorted, "Christ, Edd. You sure this guys our age? He's fucking adorable." Jim's cheeks were stained a light pink and Edd chose to ignore the slight decrease in Plank's brows.

"I've been getting that a lot lately." Jim said bashfully and Plank unconsciously shifted closer to the smaller boy, his fingers, placed on the seat were barely shy of touching Jim's.

"Kevin, was that enough to calm your jangled nerves?" Edd asked looking at Kevin to try and deter the almost flirting that was going on between them. Edd certainly didn't want the prince going for his little brother, Jim was far too innocent to be corrupted by Kevin and his profanities and Edd's deterrence had nothing at all to do with how he himself felt about Kevin, of course. Nothing at all. Besides all that Edd could see that poor Plank had subconsciously worked himself up enough as it was.

"Well I mean, sure it was encouraging, but I came here to see you, Perhaps you could give me something for luck?" Edd couldn't deny, no matter how hard he tried, that that was outright flirting. Kevin's tone was practically a neon sign flashing the word "Flirting" on it, all it's own. Kevin wanted something for good luck? If this was fanfiction, Kevin would be referring to a kiss. But Edd could not give Kevin a kiss and he was sure Kevin knew that, they weren't anywhere near that stage of their relationship yet, were they?

Edd reached out a hand gripping Kevin's forearm and saying with a smile big and bright. "Good luck Kevin." It wasn't hard because Edd meant it. He wanted luck (or perhaps skill) to be on Kevin's side so that he might win and be gleeful in his victory. So the smile came out natural, radiant and inevitably gap-toothed.

That wasn't quite what Kevin was hoping for but it was the best he could have hoped for given the circumstances. He felt his chest tighten but he was able to speak without stuttering (thank god). "Thanks Edd, I'm sure I'll win now." And with that he was off to get changed and ready for the game.

* * *

"Fucking people" Rave mumbled as he waded through the sea of people that had, for some reason, decided to come watch Nat's fucking baseball team, "The Peach Fuzzies" which wasn't very aristocratic and fucking stupid to boot but apparently the prince had picked it so to shit with logic and class. Rave was far more classy than these nobles and he was a commoner, or at least he was raised as one.

The whole event was so suburban Rave half expected people to come in bright colour, funky hats and those giant pointed-finger-glove-thingies. But they didn't, of course. Most of them still wore their button-up shirts or something at least semi-formal except for people like Rave who understood the concept of fashion and comfortability. If Rave could have found a seat without any people next to him on it, he would've, but he couldn't so he settled for sitting next to some nerdish looking guy sitting next to what had to be his baby brother, the guy looked eleven, maybe younger than that. Neither one said anything which Rave was glad of, they just watched the field to see if the players had come out yet or chatted amongst themselves.

Rave supposed they were as good people as any to sit next to and prayed silently that the game would pass quickly or he'd throw the rest of his human emotion out of the window so he could just get up and leave. But as much as he wanted to, even Rave couldn't go back on a deal like this and if Nat was going to punish him he wouldn't pussy out. He'd sit and endure this absolutely pointless game and - _Dear god was Nat's ass really that perky_?

* * *

Edd watched as the home team made their way out onto the field all dressed up in their uniforms as did the other team from some school Edd couldn't quite recall the name of, they all looked very nervous and Edd supposed that it would be quite frightening to take on the Alter Waters Baseball team.

Edd began searching the Alter Water team which was apparently dubbed "The peach Fuzzies" for Kevin's face. At first it was hard to find him amongst the sea of faces and white uniforms that transformed a group of people into one giant coagulation of masculine mass that Edd might consider a single entity but eventually Edd spotted him with his backwards cap and three locks of ginger hair slightly obscuring his vision (which Edd questioned the sensibility of). He waited for the boy to find him in the crowd as well and when their eyes locked Edd gave a reassuring smile that he tried to make say "You can do it, Kevin." Perhaps he should have made a sign, or was that too commoner?

* * *

"Hey look, Edd!" The little green kid said to the nerdish one (Edd, Rave supposed.) "It's Nat!"

So by chance Rave had sat next to people who knew the idiot that had brought him here, he almost wanted to warn them to back off because Nat was an irritating idiot but if they knew him and where (presumably) willing to come see him play, then they probably already knew that. Besides the younger one looked really sweet and excited so Rave didn't want to punch him in the childhood by being a creepy overbearing asshole right at that moment.

Rave decided to watch the game, at least for a little while because it would be better than sitting there and doing nothing so he watched as the game began to unfold. Nat was a great fielder, he could run very fast and throw the ball over long distances so he was great for the big batters on the other team. He got the ball back before the batter could even think about leaving first base if it was a great shot, sometimes getting them out straight away if it was only decent. Rave wouldn't admit it out loud, but Nat was impressive.

* * *

While the Peach Fuzzies were fielding, Kevin was stationed on first base and Nat's role was getting the balls that traveled rather far. Edd had never seen a baseball game before but he ended up getting wrapped up in the spectacle. Nat and Kevin made a great team fielding, they got almost half of the opposing team out before they could reach first base which was great, if Edd remembered the rules correctly. Jim had gotten far more into it than Edd had though, jumping up and down on his seat making anticipated or excited squeals in reaction to the different turns of events in the game. He would constantly grab onto Planks arm and point something out or shake him and Edd couldn't help but be endeared by how cute it was. Edd almost wanted to stop watching the game and continue watching Jim and Plank as they interacted. Poor Plank looked like he couldn't keep up with Jim, but he also looked like he was enjoying himself, it seemed he was more occupied by Jim to worry about the fact that he didn't like the game.

* * *

During halftime Rave was done being impressed with Nat as the repetition of the game had long since began to bore him. He hummed Backstreet Boy songs to himself as he allowed his mind to wonder. He didn't want to think about the game and he no longer worried (only a bit) about whether Nat would win or not. It was almost impossible for them not to looking at the way the other team played, that was obvious to Rave and he didn't even know half of the rules or how the game was scored.

Raves eyes lifted to skim the field one last time and then he saw Nat waving at him and he wanted to drown himself. Wait, the people next to him knew Nat as well, perhaps it was for them. Of course it was. Rave looked away.

* * *

Jim saw Nat waving and waved back with a smile on his face. Nat had been playing so well, Jim was super proud, he just wanted to give his friend a big hug. Then Nat started making hand gestures, jerking his hand to the left and mouthing something that Jim didn't understand.

He pointed to Edd and mouthed back, though feebly, "Him?"

Nat shook his head and kept pointing left so Jim peered past his brother and laid eyes on a cool looking individual with a nice blend of reddish brown hair. Jim pointed at him and received a nod and a thumbs up from Nat. He wondered who the boy was.

"Um, excuse me." Jim said happily catching the boys attention, "I think my friend, Nat down there want's to say hi."

The boy looked startled and then he gazed down at Nat who had one hand on his hip as he struck a dramatic pose and the other high in the air as he waved it high in the air. The boys brows crossed quickly as he shouted. "Well tell Nat he can go die!" and he got up, stuck the finger up at Nat, sat down and crossed his arms in front of him.

Jim was astonished and he quickly cast his gaze back to Nat to see how he had reacted but was surprised to see Nat keeled over in laughter. Was that the reaction Nat had wanted? Nat gave him the thumbs up so he sat back down and expressed how strange he found the situation to Plank.

* * *

Edd had thought he was good in his position before but Kevin really shined when he was in a batting position he hit solid runs each time and one time he even hit a home run which Edd was strangely happy about seeing happen in real life. The other batters were very good as well but batting was where Nat fell behind and Edd got the feeling both Kevin and Nat knew that. They made due with what they had though and pulled together in the end with a glorious victory. Edd was very happy to say the least and ended up being very glad he had decided to come. Jim seemed to be ecstatic too, literally jumping for joy.

Edd, and the others met with Kevin and Nat when the game had ended on the pitch. Jim left Planks side to hug tackle Nat, nearly causing him to fall over as he shouted something about Nat being fabulous and as soon as he had finished he also hugged Kevin though much less violently and Kevin mumbled something about Jim being cute again.

Edd got his turn next and he shook Nat's hand in congratulations as the green-haired teen flashed an award-winning smile at him then moved onto Kevin.

"Congratulations, Kevin. You played with sufficient skill." Edd offered feeling oddly self conscious suddenly about the way he acted around Kevin.

Kevin scoffed, "Only you'd say that, dork. Thanks, anyway, I did it for you." There was that neon flirting sign again.

"Thank you, for the entertainment. Jim seemed very worked up, he looked as if he was enjoying himself a lot."

"My pleasure." Kevin said with a grin.

* * *

"You played well for a piece of shit asshole."

Nat was taken aback by Rave and his...mannerisms. "Nice to see you too," He laughed, "But thanks Rave."

Rave turned his glance sideways "Can I leave now?"

"No way sweetcheeks! There's still an after party to go to." Nat said with a wink.

"My lunch is never safe in my stomach when I'm around you and your winking, is it?" Rave replied sarcastically, "Anyway I refuse to go to some stupid after party."

"Hey, same principle right?" Nat said with a broad smile. "It's a place to get drunk." Nat leaned in closer to Rave, "And you know what happened last time we got drunk together." Nat's hand snaked out and grabbed a lock of Rave's fringed, running it through his fingers.

Rave slapped his hand away "Fine, I'll come, don't be so fucking annoying about it."

Nat grinned triumphantly, "sure thing."

* * *

"Kevin, is this after party standard procedure for when your team wins a game?" Edd asked as he followed Kevin and a group of others, both from the baseball team and their friends toward the place the after party would be held, which was apparently the Cankers room which was the standard party room. Edd had only a moment to begin debating the ethics of him being surrounded by underage alcohol consumption before Kevin answered.

"Pretty much."

Edd wasn't too sure. "I am a little worried about Jim."

"Aw, don't worry. He's got Plank right? And he doesn't have to drink or anything, you aren't right?" Kevin replied flippantly.

"I am against my personal consumption of alcohol. Decision-making impairment is not a condition I'd like to induce on myself. I also want to take care of my liver. I would prefer it if Jim were to do the same, but I have no right to force him."

Kevin sighed, "Edd you're too good. You have to let loose once in awhile. Jim will be fine, do you really think Plank will let Jim hurt himself, you saw how he was reacting just from me calling Jim cute." Edd noted that Kevin was more observant than he had given the boy credit. "And you know how to look after yourself, so just have fun with it."

Edd sighed, "I suppose you are right."

The party went by without any hitches, Edd was able to avoid alcohol and thankfully Jim had decided to too. Jim and Plank danced together which was more like Plank spinning Jim around, mind you but it was cute. Kevin got overly friendly while drunk again and Edd had to try extra hard to keep his hands off of him.

Edd had also found Nat and Rave (whom he had only just learnt the name of) having sex in a bedroom which he was very unsure of how to feel about. He was happy, at least that they were enjoying themselves, slightly shaken and disturbed by the image and the noises but also...no. No, Edd wasn't - such a vulgar expression - he couldn't be, turned on...

The thought shook him more than the sight of two of his acquaintances having sex was so much so that he was almost tempted to try drinking. He felt an overwhelming urge to tell someone so he quickly ran and told Kevin who seemed just as shocked as he was.

Jim got tired faster than others did and ended up disappearing. He caused quite a worry until Edd found him sleeping on the couch. Plan then took him home in his arms with a wordless nod in Edd's direction. Edd supposed it was also time for him to leave but he found Kevin, barely standing as he slumped all over someone and decided it was best he help.

He all but dragged a very drunk Kevin back to his room.

"Kevin, you see the dangers of alcohol? You can barely walk. What caused you to inebriate yourself so much?" Edd asked but the only answer Kevin could give him was a series of broken moans so Edd quickly gave up. He put Kevin in his bed, tucked him in and turned off the light, before returning to his room, creeping in as to not wake up Ed and Eddy, then, finally, returning to his own bed where he got some much needed sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 11**

Sunday was nothing but pain for Kevin, he had never had such a horrible hangover before in his life or one that came with the added bonus (and mystery) of zero memory loss. So he remembered all of the stupid shit he had done and heard of other people doing, fantastic. Kevin stared at himself and his bloodshot eyes and groaned. "What is wrong with you Kevin?" He asked himself. "I thought you liked the Double dork now."

He was, of course referring to the discovery of his ex-boyfriend fucking his new one in a bedroom the night before. It shouldn't bother Kevin, at all. He should be absolutely delighted that Nat had found someone new, god knows how much Kevin had fucked him up but it somehow still hurt in his chest. He couldn't quite get over the fact that Nat was over him.

It was hard for Kevin to explain, even to himself but he thought it might have been because Nat was his. Kevin had felt like he owned Nat. Nat would do whatever Kevin asked, did anything to please him and he had loved that, loved that power he had over the boy but now he was doing what he wanted and wasn't looking twice at Kevin and it somehow bothered him a lot. Not to mention the absolute desolate amount of power and influence he had over Edd. Edd did his own thing, he was headstrong, he knew what he wanted from people and from life, he knew his own opinions on the rich and the prince and he was sticking to them.

Kevin realised how much he had missed having power over people. He was a prince which means he generally did, but when he had it over anyone he wanted, Kevin took it for granted. He could order people around and he enjoyed that but he also had people throwing themselves at him which he was irritated by, so he had thought it would just be easier if he weren't a prince. But he was being naive, he had never thought about how much power would be taken from him that way. When Kevin looked at how much his life had changed without him even realising it when Edd had walked into it,it frightened him. He was bending over backwards just to be with the guy and Edd had shown no interest back at him. Kevin wanted to be sick.

After splashing his face with cold water a lot of times he noticed, what he called his "sex drawer" was slightly open and one cuff from a pair of handcuffs was standing on the thin platform atop the drawer's front, it's chain connecting to it's twin dangled down into the dark inside of the drawer. Kevin laughed a bit, his were real handcuffs and they were nowhere remotely near fluffy, he realised it was probably a very bad thing for him to own them and how much shit he might get into if he ever lost the keys. But that was what he missed, having someone under him, unable to move as he did whatever he wanted to them and the only thing they could do was beg for more.

Kevin shuddered, it was probably a bad thing to turn him on so much, but it was the truth and if Kevin and Edd did get any further than just friends, he knew that he'd have to one day explain it, he could barely get off without some kind extra stimulus, cross-dressing or role-play worked to but not as much as domination did. He almost craved it like a drug, like without it he wouldn't be able to get through the next day. He could of course, he didn't have an addiction that bad but the thought of perhaps not being able to do it with Edd was one that had began to fester in his stomach and cause him to become nauseous, so that proved something right?

_Damn it, I am so fucked up_. Kevin thought to himself as he pushed the cuff back into the drawer, opening it to examine the rest of it's contents which he had forgotten about in their state of disuse. Kevin sighed, eight years ago now, he wondered if things would be different somehow if he hadn't gotten into this bondage stuff. He first tried when he was twelve years old for Christ sakes, twelve. When you were rich and the prince there were so many people willing to do the craziest things for you, even things like sex, even if they were at least ten years older than you, like that maid had been, the first time. Her breasts had been so large, Kevin had remembered how he loved playing with them in his hands in his ignorance, he had been too young. Too fucking young for that shit to happen, but it did and there was nothing he could do about it now.

Kevin felt something catch in his throat and his heart felt like it might explode. He had to force himself to forget, he couldn't be thinking about all the horrible things he did to his servants back then. He suddenly became angry and raised in a quick motion, he felt like he might punch the wall again, the area had struck before seemed ominous as if it had somehow changed even though the blood that had previously marked his last fit of temper had been removed completely. He didn't want to punch the wall again, he didn't want to damage his hand, before it had been a small hairline fracture and some cuts on his knuckles but if he damaged it so much that he couldn't hold a bat, he'd be in trouble. But he needed to get his new found frustration out somehow so he grabbed a bat and headed as fast as he could for the pitch.

People talked with him as he past them but he wasn't listening, he had completely zoned out as he moved swiftly toward his destination, using the rest of his mental energy to block the superfluity of memory that had seemed to bombard him suddenly. Mnemosyne wasn't on his side today, was she?

When he reached the pitch he set up one of those automatic pitching machines, hitting all the balls flung at him as far as he could and when all were gone he ran and retrieved them all, repeating the process for hours and making himself entirely exhausted by the end.

* * *

Edd didn't see Kevin for a time after the game. Mid-terms were being held in a couple of weeks time and Edd had decided to throw himself into his studies, it wasn't an escape mechanism like it had been so many times in the past, Edd was just generally concerned about his test scores for his first formal testing in Alter Waters. He wanted to impress them and show them that he was worth his scholarship. Also, Jim, Eddy and most definitely Ed (good gracious) all needed help with their own studies which had many times resulted in a study group where everyone could learn from each other, but a lot of other times it ended in Edd giving his friends or brother a one on one. They were all relatively smart (except for Ed who was a sweet boy but a nightmare to try and teach physics to) so there were no major hassles, but it all became very time consuming, and balancing that with a social life would be rather hard at that particular period of time.

However it was strange that he was seeing less and less of Kevin in class as well. Kevin was usually very punctual actually, he wasn't tardy very often and wasn't often a truant either so Edd began to worry and wonder if he had gotten sick. But every time Edd was on the brink of visiting Kevin's room to see if he was alright Kevin would return to class and Edd assumed he was okay. Edd had too much to worry about on his own to worry about Kevin, if Kevin chose not to come to class, it was his problem but Edd found it odd enough that he told himself to ask about it after the exams were over.

* * *

Kevin couldn't go to class for some reason. He just couldn't bare to be in the same class with him, Edd who had stolen all of his power and affections. Kevin couldn't even jerk off anymore because his thoughts were laced with Edd like poison, sinking down from his brain and spreading throughout his entire body, leaving it numb. If he even caught sight of his penis in a state like that he feared he'd run and jump Edd without regard of anything else, and that was a decision Kevin did not want to end up making.

So he avoided Edd as much as he possibly could, he knew Edd wouldn't notice because he would be too wrapped up in his studies, he was just like that and Kevin was past the point where he might feel bad about himself for it. He spent the time he normally would in his classes with Nazz in her overabundance of library sessions. Sometimes he'd sit and read with her on the beanbags (something he hadn't ever really done before and probably wouldn't do again once he had gotten over this little avoiding thing). Other times Nazz would talk to him and continuously chide him on how "pathetic" it was that he was avoiding Edd and he'd ignore her as always.

One day he headed out to the field to hit some balls when he came across Plank who he had gotten used to seeing around but never really spoken to. He found out that was because Plank didn't really say anything, he just stood there giving you creepy calculating stares, but they had somehow managed to agree to run together, which they did. Seeing Plank in little more than a tank top had even got Kevin a little attracted to him but most of that was killed by how ominous the guy was so Kevin's mind was still polluted by the stupid dork he knew was studying at that moment and nothing changed.

One time after he had been running with Plank, he met Jim who was waiting for the broad guy that had been running with him. They had a little chat and it made Kevin feel better talking to someone who wasn't Nazz and that it wasn't about Edd despite the fact he was speaking to Edd's younger brother. Jim was actually quite good at making conversation, he asked about baseball and how the run was and he even made a joke, saying "Now I hope Plank didn't say anything out of hand."

Eventually though it was time to sit the exams and there was nothing Kevin could do to avoid Edd after that besides all that he hadn't studied a bit so he knew that he'd fail. Not that that really mattered, no matter what how well he actually did in school, they'd tell everyone through the newspaper that he actually got great results just to keep his image up and Kevin didn't think being king required a lot of book smarts so he was alright with that. It was the fact that afterwards Edd would probably be in a mind to worry about his absence, that he didn't want to think about.

It was after the exams were over and it was just a couple of days before everyone would pack up their shit and go home to their parents for the holidays and when Kevin was still moping around that Nazz figured it out.

"Shit, Kev. This is about that power thing again isn't it?" Kevin looked shocked and as soon as he did he wanted to get up and run away. One expression was all it took for Nazz, there was no way he could deny it now.

"Nazz, how'd you-?"

"I just thought back to your last relationship problem to figure out how you dealt with it and then I remembered how you "dealt" with it."

A gross feeling spread in the pit of Kevin's stomach "Please don't remind me," He said and he half hoped that if he said nothing, Nazz would drop it.

"Well? Who's stealing your precious power from you now you spoiled sex prince?"

"Spoiled sex prince?" Kevin said in a disbelieving tone.

"It sounded like a good nickname for you, or at least it would have been back before you met Double d, anyway this is off topic! What's going on? What could Edd have possibly done to you to make you feel out of control?"

Kevin stared at her behind heavy lidded eyes. "Nothing, that's the thing..."

Nazz gave him a look that said "I am not going to tell you again to spit it out."

"He's just so...oblivious?"

"Are you telling me or asking me, because I don't know."

"Jesus Nazz, I dunno. He's just - I mean." Kevin stopped and took a deep breath in. "Look, I'm just used to getting anything I want, especially sexually, but now Edd comes along being all prudish and fucking commoner and I don't know what to do."

Nazz frowned at him, "Well does he know you like him?"

"N-not exactly."

"Jesus Kevin." Kevin felt like he was about to get a smack for being naughty. "Why don't you tell him?"

"No way!" Kevin said. "What if he rejects me? I have to wait for him to come to me."

"Kevin, you're an idiot. Isn't that why you're upset? Him making you do something you don't want to? If you man up and make the decision to tell him yourself, it doesn't matter whether he rejects you or not because you would have gotten your power back. Just promise me that if he does say no we won't have a repeat of what happened last time."

Kevin gave a bit of a shy smile. "I promise."

* * *

Edd was feeling confident in his scores. He had studied hard and he knew it had payed off. Upon asking Jim how he felt he had fared the younger boy had explained to him that he thought he made a few mistakes but overall he had done a good job. Edd was glad, it was alright to make mistakes just as long as you learnt from them and Jim was trying to learn so that was fine.

Edd asked everyone how they thought they went, as academic performance was something he was generally interested in and this was his chance to talk about it. Eddy had a murderous opinion of his results and Edd felt sorry for the boy who he knew had studied hard, Edd reassured Eddy by telling him that his hard work had to have paid off. Ed was predictably unconcerned with his results and told Edd that he had fun drawing a squid on his test paper instead of answering the questions, furthermore he had taken the test paper with him just to show Edd and Eddy the drawing so even if he had answered any questions they would have had nothing to mark.

Edd shook his head as he laughed, "It is a great squid, Ed." He said and that was all he could manage as he found the situation rather ironic, he wondered what his noble parents would do with him when he finished school. Edd supposed Ed could make a full time job out of being unintentionally funny then he felt guilty for making fun of the boys learning disability and scolded himself.

Before Edd even knew it the first semester had finished and he was going to go home on holidays, back to humble old peach creek where he had lived all of his life up until that fateful day of opening the acceptance letter. Edd supposed he actually lived in the town for a week or two after that, but whatever. It was strange though, even though he had been living there for so long he felt like he was leaving his home instead of returning to it. He was sure he would miss all the people he had become affiliated with over his stay here for the time he was gone and he hoped they would miss him as well. He'd still have Jim and he was sure that they'd have a lot to talk about because even though they were going to the same school their paths had split many times and Edd new there were many stories to be told between them, more so than the ones they had already shared. Edd just hoped that it would be distraction enough to keep his mind off of all the people he missed.

Edd wondered, would Kevin miss him or would he be swept up in home life and all the lovely people Edd was sure would be there, while he stayed in his empty house with Jim? Edd again thought it was stupid to think about things like that but he did until the night before they were all due to leave and he heard a knocking on his door.

"Kevin?"

* * *

"Are you fucking serious Goldberg?" Rave gave Nat a distasteful look as the other boy lounged lazily with his head in his hand.

"What's so bad about it?" He asked with a bit of a pout.

"So we've fucked, what, three times-"

"Four times." Nat corrected, "You don't remember it but there was four."

"Whatever, we've fucked four times, that doesn't mean you need to go introducing yourself to my parents for christ sakes."

"I beg to differ!" Nat said, "I think four times is definitely enough."

Rave rolled his eyes, "Don't you have your own family to annoy for a couple of weeks?"

Nat sighed, "Yeah, my mum will probably want to see me and I've missed her."

"Then go be her problem for a change, get tangled in her hair and give me some space to breathe." Rave said, and his voice softened a little from it's usual harshness.

He still thought Nat was really, really annoying but somehow this pattern of constant banter then angry drunk sex was one Rave had began to get used to. And well, Rave wouldn't say Nat was the best he'd ever had but Nat was the best he'd ever had. Rave never missed Nat when he wasn't there, no way but he did notice it, that was something in his favor at least, even if it was only Rave acknowledging that he hadn't been annoyed out of his brain yet. But despite all that there was still no way Nat would be coming home with him, just no way.

"Okay, yeah. You're right." Nat said in defeat, "Maybe next time."

"Maybe," Rave replied, "Now get out, you need to pack your things and get ready to leave for tomorrow."

Nat got up nodding at Rave. "Alright," He made his way to the door, "Miss you, Rave."

Rave didn't catch the glint of how serious Nat was when he said it and thinking it was his last attempts at trying to win Rave over he replied. "That's great, now leave."

What he did catch, however was Nat's hurt expression that quickly disappeared to hide it as Nat left the room and then Rave felt terrible, absolutely horrible. But no, who cared, it was just Nat right? ...Right?

* * *

"Thanks so much for helping me pack my things, Plank!" Jim said happily as he pulled the zip on his last suitcase closed.

Plank nodded in response and Jim smiled. Plank had been such a good friend over the time Jim had spent here, he wished he could do something in return but he couldn't think of anything worth it.

Plank watched Jim's face as he thought, Jim had a cute thinking face; Jim had a cute face, but he had a cuter thinking face. Plank didn't really know what to say, he knew that he wouldn't like being apart from Jim when he had gotten used to being by his side for so long and he had really warmed up to him. Jim was a very likeable person and also very easy to be around, he was light-hearted and fun. Plank didn't know what he'd do when he returned home to all the heavy personality's there.

_"Jim, won't you give me something to remember you by?"_

_"P-plank, what kind of something? ...O-oh. That kind of thing. But is that kind of thing okay?"_

_"It will be fine Jim, don't worry about it."_

_"O-okay." Gasp "Plank, it's so huge, I don't think I can..."_

Plank shook his head. No way! No way would he let a random sex fantasy come around the corner and hit him in the face like that. What was Plank thinking? Stuff like that had no place in his brain, Jim was too innocent to corrupt like that. Plank scolded himself. He was such a pervert. Just because Jim was cute didn't mean it was okay for Plank to objectify him in his mind. And with that Plank used his secret military technique number 454 and cleared his mind of such desires, able then to return to his stoic demeanor.

But Plank still wanted Jim to somehow stay with him, he knew it was impractical, Jim would likely want to return home to his parents with Edd but Plank didn't want him to. He wanted to stay by Jim's side, what if something happened and Plank wasn't there to protect him? Like what happened before, Plank shuddered in the memory, if he ever let that happen to Jim again he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

Plank looked over at Jim who seemed lost in his own brain again and opened his mouth but he didn't say anything, he hesitated. Could he really just outright say something? Of course he could, but it felt strange because it had been so long since he had. Speak when spoken to. Those were the rules and it had become wired into Plank's being. But he knew he could speak, he taught himself not to and combined with the military experience he had had it ended in him not speaking very much. Jim was the first person he had really opened up to and spoken to in a long time. He felt so happy with Jim, he needed to say it.

"Jim." Plank called out and Jim looked surprised.

"Yeah, Plank?"

"I'll miss you, when you leave. Be careful, don't get hurt, I'll be upset if you get hurt." Plank seemed to forget what punctuation and sentences were as his speech came out in a blurred dabble but Jim understood and he couldn't be happier.

He smiled and his eyes grew big and wide, "I'll miss you too!" He said jumping at Plank and ringing his arms around the larger boy's neck as he pulled him into a hug. Plank smiled and hugged back, cradling Jim with his arms this time, rather than just ruffling his hair, like he normally did.

* * *

"K-kevin, what are you doing here?" Edd asked "I wasn't expecting you." Edd said after he had panicked and stumbled outside shutting the door behind him.

"Still hiding me from Eddy, eh?" Kevin asked and the look on his face was unreadable.

Edd pondered making up an excuse but eventually decided the truth was always the better option, "I am sorry, Kevin. I don't mean it to be rude, it is just that the holidays are about to begin and I'd like to avoid a conflict. I wouldn't want to ruin the high-spirits around here."

"You know, I wouldn't start anything with him, dork." Kevin said.

Edd smiled, "Thank you Kevin. However, I don't think Eddy shares that courtesy with you."

There was silence for a while and Edd began to feel anxious. Had Kevin come just to stare at him? It was becoming rather foreboding.

"Edd."

"Yes?"

"I got you a present." Kevin said and Edd noticed a strange assertiveness that Kevin's tone had suddenly took on.

"You got me a present? Whatever for?" Edd asked his birthday wasn't until much later in the year.

Kevin rummaged around in his pocket and pulled out a small and black, rectangular object. He raised Edd's hand with his other and placed the object in it. Edd took the object and examined it, seeing that it was a mobile phone. He looked at Kevin with a shocked expression on his face.

"You brought me a mobile communication device, Kevin?!"

"I'd just call it a cellphone, but yeah." Edd heard Kevin's joking tone and began to feel rather silly for referring to it in such a cumbersome manner.

"Why Kevin? What have I done to deserve this."

"Well, I heard you didn't have one." Kevin eyed Edd "And I didn't want to have to go so long without talking with ya, so I got you a phone...so we could talk."

Edd didn't know how to explain what he was feeling at that moment. Happiness, maybe. Excitement, no. He certainly wasn't upset. He was just so glad that Kevin wanted to speak with him during the time that Edd would be gone. Edd knew that the act of buying Edd something probably didn't mean as much to Kevin as it might to other commoners but Kevin was doing something more, it was a gesture, a request to keep communications up even through long distance.

Edd smiled big. "Thank you very much, Kevin."

Kevin couldn't help but smirk back. "I already put my number in it, saved under "Kevin", so yeah, just call or something." Edd nodded. "Oh, and also."

Edd watched as Kevin took a step closer, his shoulders were broad and his chest all but puffed out in confidence, it rolled of his body as he traveled quickly into Edd's bubble. Edd took some steps back but found his back pressed against the wall. He looked up at Kevin who was staring right into his eyes (his heart skipped a beat) and gulped. He wanted to ask something that was obvious, like "what do you want, Kevin?" But words failed him as his heart began to beat so quickly it was the only thing that seemed to go through his brain, that and the image of Kevin's clear green eyes, staring at him with fervency.

Edd noticed Kevin's leg brush against his leg slightly and Kevin's hand seemed to move in slow motion as it came up to rest on Edd's chin steadying it in his grip as he leaned in closer. Closer. Edd could feel a wisp of Kevin's breath lift the hair from his face slightly as it sent a shock down his spine causing him to shiver slightly. Kevin waited, holding Edd's gaze painfully long, almost searching for some kind of defiance in Edd's eyes as their lips were moments, seconds, milliseconds away from touching. And then, they did.

At first, it wasn't what Edd was expecting, it was just the feeling of soft flesh bumping against more soft flesh and Edd had unintentionally pursed his lips in anxiety. It wasn't that he didn't want Kevin to kiss him, not by a long shot but he had no idea what to do, it was his first kiss.

His heart still beat fast and Kevin's lips were still pressed to his own but his jaw somehow managed to unclench and his lips softened as he was able to calm himself down slightly. Kevin's hand left Edd's chin as his mouth opened a bit. Edd frantically opened his mouth as well only knowing how to mirror Kevin in his inexperience. Edd seemed to do the right thing because Kevin made a strange noise that Edd thought was one of pleasure as he moved his head to the left slightly and his lips closed around Edd's again and his hand stroked down Edd's neck.

Edd got the hang of moving his lips with Kevin's and as he did, the movement became more natural. The act also became more enjoyable when it wasn't just two pairs of lips pressing against each other but two pairs of lips matching each other's movement and dancing with each other. Edd had thought he knew what was going on when Kevin suddenly flipped things on their head.

Before Edd even had a chance to gasp Kevin had gripped both of Edd's wrists in his arms and slammed them into the wall, hard enough for Edd to feel a jolt but not hard enough to hurt, he placed them together and held them above Edd's head, not breaking the kiss and he stepped forward, pushing his leg in between Edd's. Kevin turned his head sideways and that's when he felt it.

Kevin's tongue broke through the barrier of Edd's lips and ventured into Edd's mouth causing a strangely pleasurable sensation to run through him, warmth flushing his face and slowly trickling down his neck. Edd moved his tongue as well, eventually finding the same rhythm he had with just their lips and soon the kiss was hot and passionate and Edd was slightly aware of how many germs they were sharing but didn't really think about it as his brain collapsed into kiss induced fuzz.

Suddenly, Kevin stopped and they both began to pant as Edd realised that he hadn't been breathing that entire time. Edd felt Kevin's breath, hot on his neck this time and felt himself shiver again as the grip on his arms was slowly released causing his arms to drop in a ragdoll fashion and sway softly by his side. His knees felt weak but he was able to stand, red faced and flustered.

"Shit" Kevin whispered into the crook of Edd's neck before he stood up and caught a glimpse of Edd's face. Jesus, he was adorable. Kevin was hard and he knew if he kept going he'd end up fucking Edd right there in the hall and he knew he couldn't, he had also went and was rough with Edd without even thinking about it. Kevin needed to talk with Edd about that kind of thing, Kevin reminded himself but not right now, now he needed to give Edd some space to come to terms with what had just happened.

"Call me, okay?" Kevin said with a smirk and then he turned around and left Edd to sink to the ground with a stupid smile on his face.

Kevin wanted him, he had kissed him, him, a commoner. Edd couldn't think straight, he was so happy and drunk on his first kiss. He was so glad it was with Kevin, out of all the people on the earth it could have been with, Edd was so glad it was with Kevin.

The next day Edd and Jim left, waving goodbye to their friends as the same limo that had taken them there, took them out, past the long fence, past the now familiar features of the academy, past the tree's and to the airport, where they got the first flight home, back to peach creek.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 12**

_What's the plane ride like?_

_Its veby nice._

_Veby?_

_I apologize, this phone is difficult to get used to._

_I thought you might have trouble with it, it's why I'm not talking in text talk._

_What is text talk,Kevin?_

_It's how people talk over text, like "How r u today?"_

_Kevin, it's ghastly. I don't think I ever want to encounter such bad spelling._

_I'm laughing, you're such a dork._

Edd smiled down at his phone which he was allowed to take off airplane mode when the plane was in the air, texting with Kevin had proved to be rather rewarding and Edd hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. Learning how to type out messages on the tiny device was difficult but it was a challenge that Edd quickly threw himself into because he always liked challenges. Once he discovered the way everything worked he just had to be careful to press the tiny letter keys with precision as to not make any mistakes and read over his messages before he sent them, then he could avoid error.

Jim had fallen asleep and Edd half wished he could do the same, talking with Kevin kept reminding him of what had happened between the two of them, which wasn't a bad thing necessarily but it dusted Edd's cheeks with a healthy glow he'd never have. He was glad Jim was asleep so he didn't have to explain himself to the younger boy. Edd felt silly, like a lovesick school girl, well he was school aged but he still felt silly. Edd knew that first romances usually didn't last but he couldn't help but feel excited, despite the statistics because he was just so filled with wonder at the new experiences that he was feeling. Edd smiled at himself, he supposed it was alright and even normal and he'd allow himself to be excited once in a while.

Kevin and Edd stopped texting when the plane landed and Edd had to turn his phone's reception off again. Edd would have liked to be able to carry Jim out of the plane but he knew he wasn't strong enough, if only Plank were there; he was forced to wake Jim up, groggy and tired and force him to get up and walk with him out of the plane before it took off again with him and Jim flew off to someplace Edd could never have thought of.

They walked and grabbed their luggage before they went outside and caught a taxi back to peach creek. Jim had woken up a lot more by the time they were nearing their house. The familiar evergreen trees and parks with ponds filled with ducks had crossed their vision and the gleam in the window. Jim had spoken of how strange it was, after being in Alter Waters so long, to see a suburban area again. Edd agreed, when he left he never imagined he'd become so accustomed to life there amongst the nobility. His simple town seemed a lot smaller now that they had returned than it had before, and Edd felt like the world had somehow significantly less wondrous.

When he was a child, venturing down the road had been an adventure of epic proportions, crossing the river to try and reach the island in the middle and find Jim who had run off their had been like the discovery of a new continent. Stepping over the border of his town into the next had felt so dangerous and adventurous. Now, Edd almost felt like he could step through the entire town in a few swift steps. Edd hadn't at all become haughty (which he was glad of) but everything just seemed less; it was a hard feeling to describe.

Jim walked close to Edd as they approached the door to their house, both of them afraid somehow of what they new they'd find. Edd fumbled with the keys and dropped them before he managed to get the door open with an ominous creek and as they stepped through the threshold of their childhood home they were met with what they suspected, an empty home.

It was dark as the sun was setting and not lights had been left on (thank god) but the house still looked exactly the same as it did the morning the two had left, like it had somehow stood still in time when they had left it, overly clean and silently empty.

"They aren't here." Jim stated and his tone spoke volumes more then his words did. His voice was overflowing with emotions layered on top of each other, hurt disappointment, lament and most dominantly, sadness. Jim was such a fragile soul at times, so bound by his relationships with others, Edd knew that he'd never get used to the feeling of abandonment. Even though Edd was sure their parents would return eventually, he knew it would be a long time before either of them saw them again.

The first thing Jim did after placing his stuff in Edd's room was grab his mattress and dragged it (surprising Edd by his ability to move the cumbersome object all on his own) to Edd's bedroom, placing it next to Edd's bed. When Edd had realised what Jim was doing he offered to sleep on the mattress on the floor but Jim insisted Edd stick to his bed. So Edd did, or at least he tried, neither one could sleep and it wasn't (at least in Jim's case) just because he slept on the train. The house was far too empty and unfamiliar now for them to feel comfortable resting in it, and they were stuck here for the next month or so.

Edd and Jim ordered late night pizza which Edd knew was unhealthy but indulged himself in regardless and they sat on the couch with a blanket as they watched Disney movies to make themselves feel better as they got lost in their child-like innocence.

The pizza tasted horrible as late night pizza always did but they ate it anyway and drunk orange juice that they found in the fridge, unopened and new, noticing the note that read "So proud of you boys for finishing your first semester, sorry we couldn't be home to congratulate you in person, have fun over your holidays, stay out of trouble." Edd didn't pay it much mind as he returned to the couch. He couldn't think about what his parents' ideas of affection now, it would effect him too much, he just needed to relax with his horrible pizza and his little brother and his overly sweet orange juice as they watched overly sweet films and forgot about the cruel reality of their lives.

Edd knew he should be used to it by now, but he wasn't used to it, he wanted them to be home, at least to see Jim. Edd could handle it, but seeing Jim this upset teared Edd apart. Why couldn't they come home for one flipping day just to see their son? Edd didn't understand his parents at all. Not at all.

The TV hummed eerily as the two boys slept, tangled in each other and the blanket, on the couch. Moonlight licked the bottom of their feet and then vanished, replaced with the sun.

* * *

Nat had gotten home with relative ease, his mother had him picked up in a limo and taken to his estate by the beach with relative speed. Nat's mother was an extravagant woman, she was a model and a very famous one at that she made millions from her work which could range from simple mugshots for magazines to full-body shots to show off her figure and sell some item of clothing. She was renowned for her beauty, a lot of which Nat had inherited even in it's masculine wash. He loved his mother lot, she was all the light-heartedness he needed to counteract the stress from school, when he got home he headed straight for where he knew she'd be: the beach.

As expected, she was lounging on a beach chair with a straw sun-hat covering her face. Nat smiled when he saw her and nudged her arm, notifying her of his presence, she wasted no time in getting up when she felt the nudge and her face lit up when she saw Nat and pulled him into a giant hug.

"Nathan my baby!" She said sweetly, "I've missed you so much!"

Nat laughed a bit hugging his mother back but with a little less vigor, "Yeah mum, missed you too."

She pulled away and said "Well let's get inside and catch up."

Nat nodded and his mother got off of her seat and began to walk with him toward their house. It had been a while since they had spoken properly, they had of course talked over the phone but Nat hadn't talked to her properly, he loved chatting with his mum about everything that was happening in his life, she was the best listener out of everyone he knew and she was also the least judgmental of him and all his stupid mistakes.

She said, "You know what, Nathan. This is special, I haven't seen you in so long so we should celebrate while we catch up."

Nat gave her a sideways glance, "How should we celebrate."

His mother flashed him her award-winning smile which he had inherited and said, "Let's go to the spa."

Nat's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Jesus yes, god knows I need it." Then he added in a joking tone, "I mean, a little girling it up never hurt anyone."

"Of course not, dear. You play baseball." They both laughed.

After Nat's mum got dressed, they left to head for the spa. While Nat was growing up, his mother practically raised him by herself. She quite her modelling to look after him full time which was nice, but seeing as his dad was an actor (yep, the son of a model and an actor, Nat had good genes), he wasn't really around to parent to the same level as his mother was. Nat didn't resent his father for it, not at all they actually had quite a nice relationship, they weren't as open as he and his mother was but that was beside the point. Nat's mother, being Nat's mother had taken him to do all her "girly" thing's with her since he was really small. That meant facials, back massages, waxing (though Nat didn't need that to be done until he had gotten older) and a series of skin-care treatments. Nat realised that from the outside it would probably look rather strange and not just because they went to the spa together but a mother and child getting waxed next to each other, regardless of the gender of the child was a rather strange thought. But to Nat it was normal and it was great fun.

"So." Nat's mum said as they finally got settled into their chairs and leaned back as the beauticians got to work on their faces. "What's the go in school?"

Nat smiled, as his eyes idly traced the woman as she walked around, curious as to what she was doing. He said, "Well, that depends what you mean by the go?"

"How's things with that Kevin?" She asked, not pulling her punches, "Are things...better?"

"So you know about that?" Nat asked in a bit of a grumble and then a gasp as he felt the cold mask being applied to his face.

"Honey, you drunk called me about it, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Nat did remember, and the memory was surprisingly funny now, rather than bitter, which was refreshing. When Nat thought about it, there was no reason to be bitter about things now really, he had moved on. He smiled. "Actually, I've met someone new."

Nat's mum didn't try and hide her excitement and he wouldn't be surprised if she got up and started doing a happy dance. "Oh wonderful!" She exclaimed happily, "so is it a girl or boy? What are they like?"

Nat laughed a little as he shut his eyes so that the cucumber slices could be placed over them. "It's a boy." He said.

"Great, I like you better with boys, not that you've ever been with a girl but I like the idea of you with boys better."

Nat scoffed, "You are the only mother in history who'd say that. Why d'you like me better with guys?"

She giggled, "Oh there's nothing wrong with it, I just think it's more interesting. Heterosexuality is so last season, maybe I'll even try having a lesbian affair with this pretty young lady giving us our facials."

Nat didn't need to see to know that said girl was now making a shocked expression and it seemed, neither did his mum. She cackled playfully. "Don't worry dear, I am only joking, I have a husband, remember."

Nat thought he heard her mumble something like, "That doesn't mean much with you people." But it wasn't clear enough for him to make a clear call on it so he chose to ignore it.

"Anyway dear, what's his name?"

"His name's Rave." Nat said and a smile spread across his lips as he said the name out loud, he remembered the other times he had said the name out loud and was glad the mask was there to cover the redness that flushed his face.

"Rave?" His mother asked curiously, "Is that his real name?"

"He says so."

"That doesn't sound like a real name."

Nat had never really thought about it before, he supposed it did sound rather fake, but why would Rave fake his name? Nat's mother picked up on the silence and continued.

"Well, what's he look like?"

Nat began to smile again. "He has this long-ish browny-red hair and these big eyes and he wears eyeliner. Like everyday, he just wears eyeliner, and looks so good on him, I was so amazed when I first saw it. He has these skinny hips and his form is slender and he's really cute but also a handful." Nat sighed, "He's got this really angry persona, he's constantly thinking the worst of himself and everyone else and he can become a bit overbearing at times; he's a bit of an asshole." Nat began to smile again, "But it makes it even more fun to tease him and when he finally lets you in, he's actually kinda sweet in his own way."

"Whoa, slow down their tiger." His mother said with a hearty laugh, "He sounds adorable and you seem to like him a lot, I'm glad. So how did you two meet?"

Nat wondered what the standard protocol was for explaining to your mum that the guy your currently seeing was a drunken fuck at a party full of people you barely knew. There was none, you didn't, even she couldn't know that. "We met at a party."

"Well that's as good a place as any. Now, the burning question, how far have the two of you gotten."

If Nat didn't know his own mother he would have choked on his own spit, but unfortunately, his mother being nosey (though entirely accepting) with his sex life was something Nat had gotten used to when she accidentally found out he had lost his virginity to Kevin.

"I was first batter up and I got a home run."

"You take after your mother, no wasting time with these too cool-cats." Nat could hear the smirk in her voice.

"I think if you use the word "cool-cat" you are automatically not a cool-anything." Nat said and his mother laughed at him.

"I'm glad you're happy, Nathan. You deserve it."

"Thanks, mum."

* * *

The building looked exactly the same as Rave had remember it, tall standing and grey, as buildings usually were, he remembered the night he had first seen it, in the rain and his dirty clothes. He remembered the sound of lightening and unfamiliar voices as they argued. Argued about him. The memory all came rushing back as he stood there, his knee's shaking. This wasn't his idea of a holiday. Stupid Nat.

Rave scrunched his fists up, Nat was probably having fun with his perfect family right now, wasn't he. Having a bunch of laughs as they spend time with each other. Rave hoped Nat was happy because Rave certainly wasn't. What was the point of coming home anyway? He lived by himself, and he had no friends in his town, there was no theaters or drama clubs anywhere near by so he couldn't even indulge in his hobbies. He had taken to dancing around in his underwear and singing in his bedroom, though.

Rave sighed, what was he doing moping around at the orphanage anyway? He had a life to live, even if he had a month that he had no idea how to spend, he'd figure something out, even if it was just browsing the web all day and watching reruns of old sitcoms, the things everyone with nothing to do did with their lives. It worked for everyone else so it should work for Rave, right?


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N This chapter contains some content that may be distressful for some people to read, it covers some dark themes so feel free to skip over some parts but please don't stop reading guys, I love you all.**

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 13**

Kevin lifted his arms into the air and stretched as he stepped passed the car door and it's tinted glass. His family's castle stood tall in front of him in it's old, mossy oversized bricks and the cracks of erosion that had worked their way into the stone like spiderwebs over the years. Homey, right? Kevin could guarantee that the interior would be far more impressive, although all the middle age castle buffs in the audience were freaking out right about now.

The torches that hung on the side's of the walls were now just for decoration and were not meant to be lit, the light they would have emitted being replaced by light bulbs hidden behind dangling chandeliers that dance the light around the rooms prettily. Some of the carpets were the old stuff but most of them were modern replicas made in the stead of the worn-out originals, trampled by too many feet to still function as a decoration or a comfortable surface to lay on.

His old servants smiled or bowed as he entered and he found himself becoming irritated as he had gotten used to the casual atmosphere he had been able to build a lot more of at school. He was still in the casual clothing he opted on wearing above the suits with fancy frills his father would have him wear but the servants didn't seem to register as they regarded him with these strange, emotion filled eyes. The only ones that did not fuss over his return were the one's Kevin knew hated him, and they had good reason for it too, Kevin could not complain.

Kevin noticed one girl he had gotten particularly intimate with in the past and felt like he might gag. He sped up and rounded the corner only to come face to face with another, a boy, with whom he had a similar relationship. At the same time.

"Dammit." Kevin grumbled under his breath as he felt a stress headache poke it's head around the corner.

He knew that the driver would eventually bring his bags to his room so he hurried straight there, not worrying about the curious faces that watched him as he moved swiftly. When he got inside he quickly shut the door behind him. He got a glance out the window at the golf course his dad had made just for him and the water feature, the head of which was just shy of the bottom of Kevin's windowsill. His room was how he left it, his bed made and dressed in white with a matching white canopy, the carpets were soft and warmed by the heater in his room and the light trickling in from outside was dim but light enough for Kevin to not want to turn any lights on.

Kevin realised that it all felt alien to him now, he had gone to school and come home plenty of times in the past but he had never felt quite so out of place in his own skin until then. He got out his phone and texted Edd.

_Home safe and sound?_

The reply didn't come until much later, the next day actually. Kevin supposed Edd had been sleeping or busy with something and that's why he hadn't replied but it was hell for Kevin trying to find something to occupy himself with without leaving his rooms and enduring the stares of all his servants that seemed to somehow judge him.

_Yes Kevin, I am. Thank you for inquiring. How have you settled in?_

_Well it's actually a little weirder than I expected, everyone's making a big fuss over me coming back, I kinda just want to be alone though._

_Oh, would you like me to leave you to yourself then?_

_Kevin smiled into the soft glow of his phone's screen. Edd was such a dork, most of the time. Nah don't worry, you're special._

_Thank you again, Kevin_

Kevin imagined what Edd must have looked like when he sent that and it went straight to his nether regions. How long had it been since he had sex? five months, maybe more. It was the longest he had ever gone without fucking something at he had reached the point where he was willing to mount his desk and have sex with it. He wouldn't, of course, he wasn't a dog and he wouldn't do what he'd normally do and fuck someone random because he wanted to be faithful to Edd, at least until the fucked, Kevin didn't want to ruin his chance at getting in on the Double D so early in the game just because he was incredibly fucking horny.

His cheeks had been tinted a rosy colour as his brain continued to wonder, the way it had when he had first met Edd to the guy wearing skirts and maid outfits or being tied to his bed, naked and vulnerable, begging to be fucked, calling Kevin's name in his voice, half upset, half loving the fuck out of being submissive. Because in Kevin's fantasyland, everyone secretly wanted to submit to him, they wanted him and only him to make them cum with his expert hands or giant cock. The craved his touch needed his tongue to slide across their bodies and light every inch of them on fire. In Kevin's mind, that need, that power, was the biggest turn on ever, and his dick agreed with him.

It tried to stand up and salute the sun, but it couldn't in the confinements of fabric and denim and it left Kevin feeling rather uncomfortable. He undid his button, then his zipper revealing his underwear that had been wet slightly by precum. Damn, he thought. It had been so long his dick was going overboard, his balls must be so full that they were screaming for release. He slid his underwear down and his large member sprung free and grew slightly larger in it's new space, standing up and leaking some more precum from the tip as Kevin stared at it hungrily.

He brought a hand down and slid it over the head, the precum acting as natural lube as he traced a hand down the shaft, fastening it at the base before he began to stroke himself slowly. His breath hitched, even at his own touch as it had been so long and his slow rhythmic movements soon built up into a flurry of quick wrist movements as he bent over himself and shut his eye, pushing his face into the pillow. He imagined Edd beneath him as he began to thrust himself into his hand rather than masturbating the normal way, he pretended that Edd's pants were off but his top half was still dressed, giving Edd the tiniest little bit of privacy he needed to feel comfortable but still, essentially equating to nothing. In this fantasy, Edd whimpered, and cried and screamed as Kevin's dick filled him up, the pleasure was much needed as it began to well in his stomach. He felt pressure build inside him, like he was being pumped full of air as he continued thrusting into his own hand, his grip tightening unconsciously around himself. The pressure built and built until it erupted out of him with force as he came, his cum decorating the carpets as it shot far, his orgasm vigorous in it's month long build up.

He fell onto his back, panting and resting a hand on his stomach as it rose up and down in long intakes of breath.

Kevin had been home for about four days when his father finally came home. Kevin avoided him at first, it would be easier that way and Kevin knew it. His father wasn't in the habit of treating Kevin like a human being. When Kevin thought about it, he supposed, like many other things people did to him, Kevin kind of deserved it. His past seemed to chase him wherever he went and the one person both most unforgiving and most knowledgeable about it was his father, the king.

He remembered every irrelevant detail, every nuance in the constant dark hum of his past, ringing in his ear's like a loud gong had just been struck in front of him, the vibrations so intense that they sometimes made him forget where he was and how he had gotten there. HIs father liked to strike that gong, remind Kevin that the noise was still there, even when it had become little more than the buzz of a mosquito, it was constantly there, inescapable, always there. It was times like this that he wanted to see Edd the most, and they were few and far between then but over the holidays they got more frequent and more intense. Texting him wasn't enough, so he called but when calling wasn't enough there was nothing Kevin could do but mope around the castle, still avoiding his father and hoping that the torturous days he'd spend away from his friends would end sooner rather than later.

They didn't however and there was only so long that Kevin could avoid his father before the man would have the courts searched for him. So before he knew it he was spotted one day, wandering around near the kitchens by his father dressed in his crisp and clean suit, pressed to perfection, not a crease to be seen. His face looked dire when he laid eyes on Kevin, his own son and it made Kevin so nervous he couldn't even swallow.

"Kevin.." His father's voice came out steady and smooth but hiding behind it was contempt and a monster Kevin had seen and heard far to many times to not recognise, even under the guise of composure.

Kevin couldn't look at the man in the eyes for fear of what he'd find there. Anger? Disappointment? Haute? Entitlement? All things Kevin did not want to see, he didn't want to look past the green orbs that he had inherited and deeper into the emotional state of the man he was meant to call his father. But he couldn't look down, no that'd make his father angry, his father liked to be looked at, his father liked to know he was being listened to. So Kevin stared at his mouth, and watched it open and close in a phantasmagoric display of the words that belatedly reached his ears.

"What are you wearing?"

Somehow the words sounded alien, as did the mouth movements that sounded them out despite the fact that it was a simple enough question. He didn't know why his father would ask such a thing, wasn't it obvious, he had eyes. He could see.

"A jacket and jeans." Kevin replied just barely scraping back into a conscious awareness of what was going on around him. That was how he dealt with things, if he didn't really take in what was happening, it might as well not be happening, right? He didn't need to worry about his father or his being the crown prince.

But his technique didn't always work, not when his father's words were sharp enough to cut through the walls, he had began building frantically to protect himself, and stab at his heart as it beat faster in fear.

"What are you wearing." The king said again with more force and this time Kevin was fully aware of the connotations behind his words this time. You're wearing commoner clothes. That's what his father was trying to say, thats what he had taken issue with as soon as he set his eyes on the boy.

Kevin knew it would do him no good to say anything else once he had figured out what the king was really asking so he said, "Commoner clothes."

His voice was flat and held no more complex meaning then the simple answer he had given. No tone, no connotation, no innuendo, simple and straightforward so that his father had nothing he could take his anger out on. No falsely perceived "cheek" that his father could hide behind as an excuse to deal with his anger problems by taking them out on his own son.

His hand gripped Kevin's shirt and pulled him closer so that he was closer, the furrow of his eyebrows obvious as the bordered the wrinkles his frown had caused on his forehead. "That's right. And why are you wearing commoner clothes."

His voice wasn't quite yelling but he wasn't speaking in a level tone. Kevin replied, "Because they're comfy?"

He knew he shouldn't have, he knew what was coming but any way he could get even the tiniest bit of his self-respect back was by opposing his father who thought that he could order Kevin around just because he was king. In this day and age, being a king didn't mean as much, there were now elected officials that did all the real work, royalty were just a public face, a face to help make the media portrayal of current issue more bite-sized and easy for the people to devour. Kevin didn't want that, he didn't want to be a fake figure of power for the people's ease. Fuck the people, Kevin didn't care about the,, not one bit, all he cared about where the people close to him now and who cared for him and that's all that anyone should be forced to care about. Apparently his father disagreed, a closed fist connected with his cheek, and as he fell back because his father was still holding onto his shirt, it ripped, not completely but enough to make it unwearable. Then the king let go and Kevin fell over.

"You are crown prince Kevin, you can not wear these disgusting clothes, it give the whole royal family a bad name."

Kevin growled, "Fuck the royal family and fuck you too! I don't anything to do with either."

A small gasp could be heard behind them and both looked to see a maid who was hiding around the corner and watching the scene unfold. Both ignored her but Kevin was sure he was planning some form of punishment for her. For now though he was more interested in Kevin, he kicked him in the stomach, knocking him back from his knelt down position and causing him to cough and splutter.

His father raised his foot and began to stomp on top of his own son, only relishing in the pain filled grunt and growls that came from him. Kevin was trying to regain posture and stay strong but his father loved putting his delinquent son in his place. He kicked and stomped until the boy could no longer keep his pain nonverbal.

"What." Kick. "Was." Kick. "That?" Kick.

Even if Kevin had wanted to answer, he couldn't as ripples of pain traveled over his ripped and a burning sensation clung to his ribs making it hard to breath. He could practically feel his arms bruising as the onslaught continued, his father didn't stop until Kevin was barely moving on the floor.

"YOU USELESS SON!" He bellowed and his voice echoed all throughout the castle, making it seem like the ground was shaking under the force of his voice. "You don't act anything like a prince, I heard so many reports this semester of how your behaviour had affected the way your fellow nobles treated you. Making friends with a commoner, failing your exams and giving up all of what you have for baseball." His fathers words were dripping with anger.

"I-I love baseball." Kevin coughed out in his last bout of defiance.

"I don't care what you do and do not love! It is your duty to act like a prince! Now do not let me see you in those clothes again." He said and he turned on his heels and left Kevin on the floor battered and bruised.

He felt so used, so fucking powerless and pathetic he wanted to die. Everything had been stripped from him, taken and belittled, his passions didn't matter to his father, only how his actions made the egocentric man look. He was filled with fear and rage, he hated it when he was stripped of any kind of dignity, he had no choice, no merit. It didn't matter what he thought, his father would only be happy with him doing one thing and it made him furious.

Kevin picked himself up off of the floor slowly, wincing as he felt pain spread throughout his body. If he didn't do something soon he was going to spread out of control. Kevin could feel it building in the back of his brain and clouding his vision. He couldn't take it out on Edd though, he cared about Edd too much to do something to him, even if it were only over the phone. He knew what he needed, he knew who he had to go to to get what he needed. There was no turning back then.

He headed quickly for the girl he had seen peaking earlier and gave her an intense stair as he grabbed her wrist and started dragging her with him. To his surprise all she did was giggle in lust filled anticipation of what she knew was about to happen. His grip on her tightened, that made him angry, she had just seen what had happened to him and she was paid to work here which meant she had to know about Kevin's past and his issues, she had to know what he was about to do and all she did was giggle, like it was some kind of game. It made him sick to his stomach and made what he was about to do to her even more appealing. In Kevin's state of rage, everything made sense that way.

He headed straight for the throne room taking a shortcut to make sure he'd beat his father to it, this wouldn't work if dear old daddy didn't see. He stopped when he reached the table and tore a piece of fabric off of the table cloth, her eyes seemed to grow wider in anticipation and it made Kevin even angrier.

He brought her up to the throne and threw her against the chair quickly binding her wrists together with the fabric he had acquired before, he pulled it tight enough that she couldn't escape and was satisfied with that. Seeing her there and bound might of turned him on at another time, but she looked so fucking giddy about it he couldn't look at her, he all but picked her up and flipped her around forcefully wasting no time as he reached inside her skirt and pulled her panties down. He had managed to get hard in the act and was read for what he was about to do. He lined up and plunged himself inside her hearing her gasp as he did and then began slamming into her with such force that her face pressed into the head of the chair. All she did was cry a lewd moan making Kevin angrier and making him thrust harder.

He reached a hand around and squeezed her breasts in his hands as he continued pushing and pushing until he was ready to come, which he pulled out for, shooting it over her back. He heard something drop behind him and turned around to see his father with a shocked expression on his face. Kevin grinned, relishing in what he had just made his father bare witness to and then pulled up his pants, leaving the woman and panting mess as he left, his father's mouth hanging wide open.

It was later in the night when Kevin began to feel guilty and realise what it was he had done. It was then he began to loathe his actions and his father and himself. He wondered, was it worth seeing her again, he had been avoiding it, he hated feeling like he needed to see her but he had just proved to himself that he did.

He had done it again, just like he had with Nat, he fucked it up. He always fucked everything up. And what was it for, Kevin's own selfish revenge? He was being a hypocrite, he was becoming exactly what his father was and it was driving him mad. That poor girl, he had used her and Edd, he was sitting at home now with Jim blissfully unaware of what his almost boyfriend had just done. Kevin didn't deserve Edd, Edd didn't need this, not until he got better that was. Kevin had made up his mind, he was going to go see her again. He was going to suck it up and see her, for everyone's sake.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N Hopefully last chapter wasn't too painful for you to read, if you were fine with that, you (should) be comfortable throughout the rest of the story. Though with my brain, I can't tell you to how dark places I will take my characters before making them happy XD Anyway, sorry about the het content, it was as hard for me to write as it probably was for you to read (this story is a gay paradise) but there isn't much more of it after that (again can't promise anything). Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and remember to review. -kisses-**

**The Prestigious and Highly Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 14**

Kevin sat in the waiting room as the clock ticked, still slightly on edge from the adrenaline caused by his little escaping act. He didn't want his father to know, or anyone for that matter and he didn't want people to make a big fuss over the fact that he had gone back and have body guards follow him or the whole fucking court if Kevin was lucky. But he had gotten out without them knowing and he was able to avoid the creepy body guards that would stand behind him and say nothing as they watched. He didn't really need them anyway. He had expertly avoided the media in the time he'd been alive so much so that there has never been a photo of Kevin with his father or anywhere near or in the royal courts. People knew he was the prince, of course and the general public knew he existed and that he was attending an elite boarding school they just didn't know which one or what he looked like. This gave Kevin the freedom to roam around the streets of the commoners without getting tackled to the ground. In Nobal areas, it'd be different, his face was well known there but the facility he was currently sitting in had been chosen specifically because he wouldn't be recognised, of course that was years ago but it was the only place he knew that he could go.

Some memories flashed back through his mind like acid reflux as his eyes traced over some of the details of the waiting room. The last time he had been here was just before he and Nat had broken up. He had lost control like he had the day before with the maid and he had done something to get everyone's attention. He had wanted to prove how much power he had, somehow. He had wanted to force everyone else beneath his foot so that he didn't feel so helpless so he did the only thing he knew how and fucked everything up.

Now he was back, not having seen her since then, he was a little nervous, worried that she'd judge him for his lack of judgment and common sense and worried that he'd feel even worse than he already did now, under her penetrating gaze. He sunk his head, unsure really what to do with himself; the clock ticked.

As time passed Kevin noticed a little boy and his mother, the boy was playing with some toy blocks and a little painted, wooden train. He was driving the train around with his left hand and crashing it into the blocks he stuck with his right. His mother was on the phone yelling something but it seemed the boy hadn't noticed. He had switched off, just like Kevin did with his father, the boy played with his toys so that he wouldn't have to deal with his mother who was yelling and likely frightening him. The sight made him bitterly nostalgic.

When the child with the blocks and his mother were called in, Kevin really began to regret coming so early. He just didn't know what else to do with himself as he waited for the time to tick away to his appointment's time. He hated being in the same building as his father and he'd been avoiding him ever since the incident that had lead him here in the first place. But beeing here wasn't much easier for Kevin, it just gave him more time to ponder about useless things and get himself worked up for no good reason.

His name was finally called and he entered the door that lead to the office he was all too familiar with. But instead of being met with short, jet-black hair that had been cut in a bob and dark eyes, bordered with heavy eyeliner, it was long, honey coloured hair that glowed as the sun danced off it and eyes, just as sweet. She held a coffee in her hands and blew on the steam gently as she gestured for Kevin to sit down, he did.

"Where's doctor Margerie?" He asked with a confused look on his face, this new woman matched it with one of her own.

"You mean you actually want to see Marge again?" Kevin noticed the pet-name and assumed that she had met Margerie in the past, at least enough to call her by an abbreviated name.

"Not necessarily." Kevin said, slightly thrown by the woman's casual tone. "But I was expecting her."

The woman took a sip of her coffee. She said, "Three years ago when you came here you asked specifically for a woman-"

"Because I hate talking to men about my feelings and stuff." Kevin interrupted to make sure this woman knew he wasn't just a pervert. She nodded only slightly annoyed that the boy had interrupted her.

"Yes, well it shouldn't matter that your therapist has changed then, should it? I am a woman just as she was." She said and added on the end hastily, as she remembered she had forgotten, "My name is Pantene."

"Pantene." Kevin trialed the name on his tongue and decided he liked it. "Well of course not, but why were you changed?"

Pantene took another sip of coffee, "I'd been keeping an eye on your case while you were with Margerie, kings orders." Hey eyes locked onto Kevin's as she said that last part, as if expecting him to say something, but he didn't so she continued. "I got the feeling that if Margerie changed her tactics a little you wouldn't have run away the year prior and you might of avoided what happened then."

Kevin narrowed his eyes at her, a million questions running through his head but the most prominent of all was what she had expected him to comment on before. He hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of it, which was why he had said nothing but ever since he had made that decision it was eating away at him.

"You work for my father?"

"Yes." She responded, "But I can assure you that everything you say here will remain confidential. My methods might be a little debugged to many psychologists but I'd never ever betray your right to your privacy."

Kevin looked at her with serious eyes, weighting what she had said with her expressions and body language, he believed her.

"Well if you think you can do better than Margerie, tell me what it is you're going to change." Kevin challenged.

She smiled an odd smile and said. "I do not believe in beating around the bush so let me get straight to the point. Margerie believed that she could "fix" you by making you refrain from sexual activity, yes?"

Kevin nodded, "Yes."

Her smile quirked a little higher, "I think that's bullshit."

Kevin was shocked, was she allowed to say that? This Pantene was acting rather unprofessional, in Kevin's opinion. Wasn't she meant to stay cool and composed, the woman was flowing with emotion, and realness. She wasn't a stoic painter trying to dye Kevin's canvas a specific colour, she wasn't just a therapist, she acted like a person.

Seeing his expression, she continued. "I don't want to make any assumptions based off the reports both your father and Margerie have on you, after all you are my patient not clips of paper with other's perceptions of you on them. So I'd like to start from square one, I don't have any theories or preconceptions about how your brain works and why you do the things you do because I haven't heard it from you."

Kevin nodded again feeling strangely pleased with Pantene, she might seem unprofessional but she was on the right track as far as Kevin was concerned.

"However I don't think under any circumstances it's a good idea to keep a teenage boy, under as much stress as you are, in a state of sexual frustration, don't you agree?"

Kevin was smiling big now, feeling comfortable and warm, he said. "Yeah."

* * *

Edd stared at his phone's screen perplexedly as he found Jim eating cereal in the dining room. "Jim," he said, looking up from his phone to make sure he had Jim's attention. "Can you decipher this code for me?"

Jim frowned as he took the phone that Edd held out to him and took a look, then he started giggling. "What's so funny?" Edd had said, indignantly.

Jim smiled, "Edd this is a love heart, look at it sideways." Jim returned the phone to Edd he turned it sideways upon obtaining it to see what it was that Jim was talking about. Edd saw it, if you imagined that the lines from the less than sign and the three connected, it made a love heart shape.

"Kevin sent this to me." Edd said making it sound more like a question than a statement.

Jim smiled, "He must lurv, you." He said with a strange accent on the love, "You guys are so cute together."

Edd shook his head. "Jim you cannot say we are "together". It has only been a couple of days since the-" Edd paused.

"Since the kiss." Jim provided for him.

"Since the kiss." Edd repeated with an obvious nervousness to his tone. "So we haven't even discussed anything about it yet. We aren't yet monogamous Jim, so you can't call us, together."

Jim smirked playfully and replied, "Whatever you say Edd."

"Besides." Edd continued, ignoring Jim's playful mockery. "Not only does it look nothing like a heart, but the heart has nothing to do with the feeling of love whatsoever. The brain is responsible for the chemical formula that makes one feel like they are in love, so until Kevin sends me a love brain, I will remain treating our relationship as a casual one."

Jim rolled his eyes and giggled. "Oh Edd"

* * *

Plank's father wouldn't be home over the entirety of the holidays and Plank was glad. He wasn't to fond of his father so it was very difficult for the large boy to be around him without blowing a fuse. His trainer had come home with him and he'd been training twice as hard as he ever had in Alter. It was good, it kept his mind off things and allowed him to exert tension in a physical way, the way he liked to. Also, he got to see Johnny again, which he was always happy about. Nobody took care of Johnny properly, really. When a Noble had a child with a learning disability they got one of two kinds of treatment. 1. They got pampered and treated better by their over-loving parents than they would if they were at a normal learning capability, that was the kind of treatment Ed got. Or the second option, which was the neglect and abuse his brother received.

Plank loved Johnny and couldn't stand the way people treated him, but there was not much he could do. He had learnt to shut up when it came to these kinds of concerns, having a military general as a father made it rather difficult to speak your mind, not that Plank did much of that anyway.

When Plank had first seen Johnny he was in his room sitting on the ground with a piece of wood in his hands. Plank had asked, "What is it, Johnny?"

Johnny smiled and held the object up which was a plank of wood with a horribly drawn face on it. "It's you, Plank." He had said, "I got lonely without you here so I made a version of you to keep me company."

Plank said nothing, he just pulled his brother into a hug. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't. His poor brother, if only Plank had protected him, he wouldn't be in this mess. A bitter feeling filled Planks gut and he felt like he might throw up, he didn't though. "I'm sorry." He whispered softly into Johnny's ear. "I'm so sorry."

"I see," Pantene said as she took a sip of fifth coffee. Kevin thought she might have an addiction. "And that's why you need to take control over others sexually. That only makes sense."

Kevin nodded and swallowed hard.

"In any case," She continued, "It isn't necessarily a bad thing that you want or even need to dominate others in bed, it will limit the amount of people willing to have sex with you, of course but there's nothing inherently wrong with it. It's when you start doing things like you did with your ex that it becomes a problem."

Kevin nodded, "I know."

"Now then, in order for you to keep your anger in check and have sex this way healthily, you'll need two things. One: a partner, or partners, that understand and are willing to be extremely submissive to you, it would pay to find people that particularly enjoy that." She paused to take yet another sip of coffee. "And two: you need to stop seeing it as a bad thing."

Kevin blinked at her and she smiled. "Look Kevin, we all have our own desires and kinks and this is no different. It is and will likely stay a part of who you are for a long time. Running away from it isn't going to solve anything but getting into healthy consensual relationships with people who need a similar kind of stimulation as you do, will. There are many of them out there, and you don't seem like the type to abuse them and act overtly dominant outside of the bedroom. It is only sexual right?"

"Yeah, it's only sexual."

"Good, what you have to remember is that, it will only ever be the illusion of power, if you actually had a real dominant role over people, the relationship would never work out, that kind of thing is unhealthy. In reality you will be on equal terms, with the same amount of power and it is important that you are aware of that, but in the bedroom you can give yourself the illusion, because that is what you need."

Kevin thought about it for a moment, would it be the same if it was only an illusion? Kevin was sure that many times it was just an illusion but forgetting the many times it wasn't, he was never actively aware that he wasn't actually in power, so he had no idea whether it would have the same effect or not.

"Is it really so unhealthy for me to have a real position of power over people?" Kevin asked, really not sure it would feel the same if he was aware that it was just an illusion.

She sighed, "Yes, Kevin. Not only is it unrealistic to expect anybody to stay with an asshole who expects them to dote on his every whim, or whatever perceptions you have of real dominance might be like, if they are willing to stay, it would likely be out of insecurity and by you being dominant with them it would likely play on those insecurities and bring them to light. What is so alluring about a complete domination of someone?" Pantene asked and the question hit him in a corner of his brain he didn't think he wanted to access just then.

He said, "I dunno."

Pantene looked like she didn't believe him but luckily she didn't pursue it any further, at least she had a small amount of professionalism. She said, "Whatever it is I want you to try and work it out or at least be able to talk about it before our next session. Because it is unhealthy to be in that kind of relationship, sexual or not. Your father should give you a good example of that."

At first Kevin was a little stung by the comment but he knew it was true. He didn't really know what to say to that so he got up and started to leave but he heard Pantene's voice. "Kevin, do you plan on coming back here? After the thing's I've said."

Kevin looked at her, unsure of the answer himself until he decided. "It's what I needed to hear. I'll come back, as long as you promise to continue being blunt with me." Kevin laughed a little, "Should teach me a lesson about power play right, I'll listen to you. Or at least try."

And with that he was gone, he couldn't stay any longer and he knew it, he had been shaken too much be revealing even small parts of his past to Pantene. She was smart and her advice, or rather "counseling" was good so Kevin didn't want to give up on her just yet but going there would probably stir certain things within him that might make it hard for him to cope, he couldn't go home yet, not in his state. He only knew one place he could visit.

It was strange catching buses around, something he still hadn't gotten used to though he knew he probably should. He had no choice but to do it if he wanted to keep these sessions under the radar. But perhaps he could organize something with the driver behind his father's back, he'd have to if he wanted to continue going when he returned to school. That would probably be the best option, Kevin concluded.

The bus ride wasn't as long as Kevin suspected and he found himself jumping off the small ledge out into the cold before he knew it, feeling the cold, wet grass dampen his pants. He heard the bus behind him travel off as he stared ahead of him, past the wrought iron fence that had droplets of water clinging to the underside of the bars, past the tree's and their stretching fingers that seemed eerily suitable without leaves and past the tombstones; some broken, cracked or chipped and some in perfect condition, some with flowers resting in front of them, some without, some flowers flourished still, some dyed slowly into the ground to join the bodies they paid respects to. The graveyard was empty, not a soul trotted around and the shiver that went down Kevin's spine wasn't just from the stiff wind that had picked up behind him, blowing some loose water drops onto his back. He sighed, watching as his breath caught in the cold in a puff of smoke. He hated winter.

Traversing the graveyard was something he had gotten used to by now and it was easy enough to reach the one he wanted to, it stood larger than the rest and it always made Kevin angry. She didn't need such a large grave, she was no different than everyone else in the graveyard, but just like in life, everything that happened to royals was blown out of proportion, everything fussed over by the people who wanted to make the people happy, or sad. What got to Kevin the most though was that once all was said and done, nobody really cared about her, nobody but he visited her and all she was left with was a giant tombstone that drew unnecessary attention to a woman that'd be remembered for what she did (and even that had been an altered perception thanks t the media) rather than who she was.

"Mother." He said, choking on his words as more wisps of smoke cold breath flew past his rosy cheeks and floated away.

He dropped to his knees and every ounce of energy left him. He didn't cry, that wasn't something Kevin did, but he was distraught to a strange level, more than he could handle alone. He reached a hand out and leaned over on his knees tracing fingers across the engravement (what a cruel pun) that read, "Here lays Queen Roxy, as beautiful in life as she was in death. Her wisdom and contribution to the kingdom shall never be forgotten. May she rest in peace."

How vague. Kevin thought. They knew nothing about her and it made Kevin sick, she was so much more than beautiful and wise, why could nobody see that?

Kevin sighed, "Hi mum." He said softly. "It's been awhile hasn't it?"

As there was no possible reason she could answer, Kevin continued quickly. "I've been getting better lately, then I got worse." He laughed, "Well, I met this boy named Edd or "Double d" he's a total dork, the kind of guy I probably would've made fun of when I was younger." He smiled, "He somehow makes me happy, mum. But he also makes me really scared and that makes me do stupid things sometimes."

He took a deep breath. "I'm scared that he will leave me once he finds out what I'm into, but I can't help that. Edd is such a gentle, shy guy though, I'm not sure how he'd handle it and if I can't be" Kevin blushed, embarrassed even when his mother wasn't actually there to say it out loud. "The way I want with Edd." Kevin substituted. "I don't know if I can date him."

He swallowed, a lump in his throat. "But god I want to, like I did with Nat. It was more than something just casual, like it was with him. I had thought Nat would mark the end of it, you know but he only marked the beginning and when we broke up, I didn't know what to do with myself, I could only play baseball and take it out on that. But then Edd came and things somehow got better. Well at first they got worse."

Kevin snorted, "I was totally uncool, I forgot how to be in the shock of what had happened with Nat, I hadn't bothered to keep a social life, and so I was awkward and horrible at first. I still kinda am, but I'm getting better at it, I think I made an impression on him." Kevin smirked, "But that also makes me frightened, I don't want to make the same mistake I did with Nat again."

Kevin swallowed, "I went to see a psychologist today, and she helped me out a lot. It was only our first session but it really opened my eyes up, you know, so I came to see you to tell you all about it."

Kevin's voice became thick with emotion. "You're the only person I can truly be open around and you're dead."

The silence should be expected in the absence of people in the graveyard but it was somehow deafening. Even the rough blow of the wind made no sound as it pushed Kevin's hat off onto the floor, allowing his hair to fall out and hang loosely around his face. He did nothing, he said nothing, he just sat there as he soaked in the atmosphere the atmosphere of the dead. He sat there as his pupils dilated and his heart pounded and he was filled with an exorbitant desire to have sex with something and dominate them, to regain some slither of control that was slowly fading away. But he fought it and instead sat by his mother's tomb, unable to cry no matter how much he wanted to (because that would prove how weak and uncool Kevin really was) even in the presence of nobody.

The stone was cold against his knees and if he stayed there any longer, Kevin might have gotten frostbite. He eventually returned home and went straight to bed, surrounding himself in blankets and pillows he squashed his natural desires down within him as to not act on them again and allowed his brain to finally fizzle out before he went to sleep.

* * *

I saw this done in a fic, and thought it would be a cool idea:

Next time: Schools back but not everyone has exciting stories to tell of their holidays~


	15. Chapter 15

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 15**

Edd's parents still hadn't returned home by the time they had to leave and the little note left to congratulate them was the only evidence Edd had that they were at least alive long enough to know that Edd and Jim had been coming home soon. He didn't like the idea, they never bothered to contact them over the phone, or anything like that, it was always notes so for all Edd knew they could have both gotten into a horrible car accident without him knowing. Of course he doubted that, but it was the prospect that mattered.

Jim didn't look too well about it either, in fact he looked incorrigibly depressed. Edd was worried and really had no idea how to deal with it, he wanted Jim to cheer up but Edd also knew there was nothing he could say and didn't want to risk making things worse by reminding Jim of the situation he was in. So he settled for a quick squeeze on the shoulder as her lugged their belongings outside to throw into the trunk of the cab that would take them to the airport.

Jim was equally silent on the way to the airport, he stared out of the window absent mindedly as the car pulled through the quiet town roads before it travelled along the highway that would lead to the airport. Jim wasn't filled with the awe he had been the first time and Edd feared no reassuring touch would help. He hoped that seeing Plank and the rest of his friends would make Jim feel better and worked under that assumption, perhaps it was weakness on Edd's part but he could see no other option either way.

When they reached the airport all Edd was met with was more silence, he knew Jim wasn't deliberately trying to, but he was making the trip very awkward and stressful for Edd. He hoped he'd cheer up soon. Luckily for Edd it seemed Jim wasn't in the kind of depression that brought people so low they didn't even want to become happy again, Edd realised what Jim had just dealt with probably wasn't worth a strong reaction like that.

Edd recognised the boy as Rave when Jim had pointed him out standing around with an irritated expression on his face as he stood at the end of the line. Edd and Jim approached behind him as they needed to get in line too but Jim went further and tapped Rave on the back making him turn around quite suddenly and look down at Jim who managed a smile.

"Hi, you were at the baseball game cheering for Nat, right? Your name's Rave." Rave regarded Jim with annoyed eyes but when he looked deeper into the smaller boys eyes, they softened.

He said, with as little contempt as possible for Rave. "I am."

"I'm Jim. Do you remember me?" He asked and Rave was starting to think that he was a little too flowers and butterscotch for Rave's liking.

"I might."

"What kind of answer is that, silly?" Rave blinked at him. "That just means you do, hard to forget someone like me though right? I stick out like a sore thumb in Alter and so does Edd." He paused for a moment and then said, "And so do you."

Rave was surprised, looking onto the boy's eyes he saw more meaning behind them then his words had let on and Rave suddenly realised that he was not a little boy. He might even be older than Rave was... Creepy, he wondered how someone could be that small. He was about to ask JIm's age when Jim beat him to speaking.

"You're a commoner, aren't you?" The question came as a surprise to both Edd and Rave. "And I don't mean that I'm basing this off the airport you're in, I could tell at the game."

Rave suddenly felt uncomfortable, "I don't think it was particularly hard to tell, based off the clothes I wear." He gave Jim a sideways glance, "You know you're kind of creeping me out. How old are you?"

Jim looked taken aback, it seemed whatever foreboding sense he had taken on, it wasn't deliberate and Rave immediately felt guilty for suspecting the boy of trying to manipulate him. "I'm sorry." Jim said, "I am not in a very good mood today, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I just got excited was all." He looked up at Rave with shimmering eyes and Rave would never admit it out loud but it made his heart ache a little bit. "Me and Edd had been having a hard time because we were commoners but you didn't seem to have any trouble dealing with it. I realise that I must have sounded a bit like a stalker, but I really just wanted to be friends and I didn't want you to lie and tell me you were noble, that's why I brought up knowing at the game."

Rave believed him, not just because the story made sense but because he could see the raw emotion behind Jim's eyes when he spoke. It was obvious that the boy was smarter than he let on but also he was sincere and that was something Rave liked. Nat always played games or did things in roundabout ways, always trying to challenge Rave or annoy him in some way. This boy was brutally honest, even about himself and it was refreshing. He'd make an interesting character to play.

"It's okay, just don't do it again." Rave settled on as he faced forward again returning to his previous thought of how annoyed he was at the slowness of the line, he wanted to get on the plane and catch up on sleep.

He heard Jim's voice again and became irritated. "So, do you live around here, Rave?"

His brow creased and he snapped. "Does it look like any of your business?" He asked harshly and quite suddenly Edd looked hurt and lowered his head, looking embarrassed.

"No, I'm sorry."

Rave stared at how upset he'd made Jim and his eye began to twitch. Damn it, he felt guilty, but he'd never really admit it out loud. He paused for a while, he couldn't just make the kid depressed like that and do nothing about it. Rave might be a little jaded but he wasn't an asshole and the guy was likeable enough. He was just worked up, he had just worked himself up. He had spent the entire holidays seething over the idea of Nat being happy at home and Harvey (a boy he'd met at the orphanage) galavanting around having fun on his own as well. Granted Rave had made no effort to contact either one but he shouldn't have to, they were friends (or assholes he just happened to fuck occasionally) so why should he always be the one to take the initiative. But he had another problem on his hands now.

Rave sighed. "I live in an apartment in peach creek." He said, but he was unable to vocalise a proper apology, it seemed he didn't need to, Jim springed back to life as soon as he heard Rave was willing to talk to him again.

"Really? Me and Edd live in peach creek too! Strange that we never ran into each other."

Rave might have found Jim's endless amount of energy and happiness irritating under other circum stances, but it wasn't due to some ignorance to the hardships of life and even if Nat hadn't blabbed the entire story of how the little guy was brought up to Rave one time after they had fucked, Rave could see the sadness behind his bright eyes. But Jim was no stranger to abandonment and if anything it just made Rave like him more, despite his big eyes and interesting personality. Rave might even respect him if he thought Jim had any talents other than winning people over with his cuteness.

Rave wondered what it might be like if he dealt with the world that way. Jim covered his sadness up by being overly cheerful, but Rave had seen how much more he saw and took in. To many it probably looked like just his personality, and Rave was sure a lot of it was but he could spot a mask when he saw one and Jim was wearing one. Rave spared a glance at Edd and wondered if he knew just how fucked up on the inside Jim must be. Rave smiled to himself, having someone like him around could make things interesting.

He looked Jim up and down, he doubted Edd could tell, but that was interesting in and of itself. How real was their relationship really. How real was Jim's relationships with everyone really? And what would happen when everyone found out that Jim was completely different than what he appeared on the outside. OF course it probably wouldn't be that extreme, he suspected that Jim did have a sweet personality as well, but if he did end up being a wretched asshole on the inside Rave couldn't help but become excited in anticipation for a pseudo event he'd created in his head, it would be straight out of some drama on tv, it'd be great to watch.

Rave sighed, that was another one of the reason's he was meant to be fucked up right, this taking pleasure in another's pain thing wasn't meant to be good. Whatever, Rave didn't fucking care what other people thought, and it wasn't to the extreme level he might manipulate people directly just to amuse himself, so he was good.

But something nudged at the back of his brain and it was related to how lonely he felt and the experience he had just had and Nat and Harvey and...his parents. His heart sank further as he realised that everything was connected, just like a plot in a play everything led up to this moment. But unlike a play his life would keep on going, it wouldn't reach some abrupt end in a happy place and things wouldn't happen the way they did in plays. Because the real world was never quite as nice as the world of theatre, there were far less lights, it didn't have a buzz of an eager crowd but it did have one thing more than theatre. The one thing it had more of were faces holding fake smiles, those were everywhere, you didn't need to be surrounded by actors to see those.

Edd was quiet on the plane ride over and he texted Kevin a bit, he had never really gotten the chance to intervene with Rave's and Jim's conversation and it had soon reached the point where doing so would create an awkward situation so he kept to himself. Jim and Rave spoke of many things, most of which related to some form of storytelling. They got into a discussion about the difference in movie acting and stage acting, which was more like a lecture on Rave's part as Jim listened, idly amused by how easily heated Rave became about the subject. Soon the plane landed and they were clambering into a limo and leaving Rave to get into his own then finally they were going through the gates and being met with the familiar eyes of Felix. Filled with deja vu, they had made it back.

Edd breathed out quietly, "Second semester starts now, Jim. But our schooling here has only just began."

Jim nodded, "Let's make sure to study hard, but also stay happy and have a little fun."

Edd smiled and nodded, "Agreed, Jim."

* * *

"Double dee!" Ed screamed as Edd entered the door and was tackled, almost to the ground and crushed in a bear hug by the larger boy whose voice was sickly sweet along with his hug, despite it's force.

Edd sighed, "It is nice to see you too Ed, I appreciate the enthusiasm but do you mind getting off?"

Ed gave a goofy laugh as he picked himself up off the floor and held a hand out to help Edd do the same. Edd then laid eyes on Eddy and smiled. :Greetings, Eddy. Have you had a nice holiday?"

Eddy huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "No way, it was boring and Ed kept getting me into trouble."

Edd turned his head sideways, "Ed spent the holidays with you, Eddy?"

"Yeah, he usually does because his mums too "busy" and she can't trust him by himself. Our families are friends and our parents arranged it, not much I can do."

Edd nodded, "I understand, I'm sure Ed wouldn't have caused that much trouble though, he is a very considerate person."

"Yeah, Eddy. I love you like gravy."

Eddy rolled his eyes and said "Geez, don't get all sloppy on me. Besides you teared half the house apart."

Edd chuckled a bit and smiled. It was good to be back.

* * *

When Jim saw Plank the first thing he did was run and jumps into his arms, without even really thinking and Plank scooped him up, without thinking too and they hugged each other. Jim's arms slid around Planks neck and Plank held Jim by his waste in what must of looked stupid and cliche to anyone who hadn't been caught up in the feel of the moment.

Plank put Jim down and managed to force a smile onto his face at him. He wanted to show Jim that he was glad to see him, somehow, even if it meant showing his awful smile. Jim smiled back, as carefree as he always was.

Nat voice surprised Jim as it said suggestively, "That was a kind of intimate reunion. You guys are fucking or what?"

The question immediately made Jim flustered. "N-no! Of course not. I'm fairly certain that Plank is straight."

Nat smirked "Are you implying that you are gay, Jim?"

Jim looked like he was about to come out for a second and Nat felt like he had stepped on a mine but Jim ended up saying. "Edd has known he was gay for a long time, and so have I. I've grown up with it."

Nat gave Jim a curious glance, failing to see the relevance. "So?"

"So I've grown up with it, and." Jim paused, "Well I haven't really like any boys or girls in that way. Edd says I'm a late bloomer but I honestly don't know."

Nat nodded. "Sorry dude, I was just teasing ya but now I've made you think about shit you don't really want to. I know what that's like."

"No." Jim said, his smile returning to him. "I'm fine Nat."

Nat took that as his queue to continue and turned his head toward Plank as he asked, "What about you, big guy? He right about you being straight."

Nat thought this one was a no-brainer and that Jim was right. An army brat like him couldn't possibly be gay, but Nat had been eating his words more and more lately.

"No." Plank replied.

"So you're gay!?" Nat said, shocked at first that someone so masculine could be gay, but then he remembered Kevin and that quickly derailed his train of thought.

"No."

Nat frowned. "Bi?"

"No."

"Okay you are really starting to confuse me now."

Plank couldn't help it, he didn't know how to explain what he meant to Nat, nor did he really want to. Even though he could be attracted to men and women he didn't consider himself bi. He was a cuteness-sexual. It wasn't the physical traits they had as either a boy or a girls that made him attracted to them, it was how cute they were. Bug eyes, wide smiles, small stature, energetic personalities. These were all things Plank was attracted to. Of course if he said that, it would be obvious that he was in fact, attracted to Jim. Something he had come to terms with sometime over the holidays but would not allow himself to act out on. So he settled for something simple.

"I know."

Nat rolled his eyes and said. "Guess just like everything else, your sexuality will remain a mystery."

Plank couldn't help the upward curve that graced his lips when he replied with "Yes."

* * *

The first thing Nat did the morning after everyone had moved back into their rooms and a week before the school term actually began, was look for Rave. He had been missing the boy like crazy and all he wanted to do was hug and kiss him. But he hadn't seen him the night before and he was too busy catching up with Jim and Plank along with unpacking himself and getting settled in the night before to do anything then.

Rave was in his room like Nat had thought he'd be and he didn't look especially happy or annoyed to see him, which was a good sign.

"What do you want?" Rave asked when he spotted Nat and all Nat did was let himself in, closing the door behind him as he leaned his back against it.

"You." He said.

Rave didn't want to be so excited with that answer, but he was. He fucking hated Nat. It wasn't fair, why did Rave have to be so attracted to him? If he was ugly Rave could just throw him away and get on with his life, but whenever Nat was around, Rave was pulled into his gravitational pull. It was more fucking irritating than anything Nat could do to him deliberately and it made Rave even angrier that he always gave into it.

Nat made his way over to Rave who had one leg hanging off the bed and a blank expression on his face. Nat's face inched closer, nose brushing against Rave's lightly as Nat stared into Rave's eyes, sending a stupid lot of shivers down his spine, before he turned his head sideways and planted a kiss on his lips.

At first, Rave kissed back but then he realised what had happened. They had been playing this game with each other since they had first met, constantly trying to one up the other, both trying to gain power, trying to gain the other, to own them but neither was willing to give in. Nat might have taken Rave by surprise but that didn't mean Rave had to give in, gravitational pull or not, it was just as satisfying for Rave to fight back against Nat, knowing the other boy desperately wanted him as it was to indulge in actually sleeping with him.

Rave pushed Nat away, staring into his eyes wistfully as if he were totally captivated by Nat and he saw that Nat was falling for it. The other's breath hitched after the intense eye-fucking Rave had given him and then Rave leaned in, breath brushing against Nat's neck as he leaned closer to Nat's ears. Rave heard Nat swallow and he let out a very deliberate breath in Nat's ear, making his shoulders hunch as he shivered. Rave could tell he was turning him on.

"Do you know what I want you to do for me?' Rave whispered seductively.

"I'll do anything." Nat said in return, a strange and satisfying need in his voice.

"You promise, even if it sounds weird." Rave used his expert acting skills to sound bashful and Nat fell hard for it.

"Oh god, Rave. I promise, whatever you want."

By now Rave couldn't hide the giant smirk that had crossed his lips. "Make me a fucking sandwich, bitch."

Nat looked like someone had just hit him over the head with a frying pan as Rave slumped back onto his bed, feeling satisfied and haughty. Nat suddenly looked appalled when he realised what had just happened.

"H-hey! You can't do that." He said subconsciously pulling his shirt down.

"I can do whatever the fuck I want, Goldberg." The smirk returned to his lips. "Seriously though, if you want to stay in here, you might as well make yourself useful. I have to keep practicing my lines, you might have the pleasure of having an extra week off but an actor is never not working."

Nat sighed and shrugged "What do you want on it then?"

Rave laughed. One of many won rounds. He thought as he eyed Nat. He would win this game they had going on, whether Nat wanted it or not.

* * *

Edd was visited by Kevin and he was far too happy about it. When they had met, Edd immediately brought them out into the hallways, still hiding Kevin from Eddy and still trying to avoid the subject in their conversations as they travelled around the large school.

Edd had missed the high ceilings and soft carpets when he returned home. He had found that he had become dependent on the people here more than he had realised too. It was okay, Edd didn't mind needing his friends to give him support, even if only by their presence, but he wasn't used to it. He was sure Kevin would be okay with keeping him company.

He looked over at him and smiled. He wondered what they were, Jim had called them "together" but Edd still wasn't too sure, about that. He wondered what Kevin thought of them, what did Kevin think they were.

"Kevin?" Edd's voice called and Kevin looked over with a cool expression on his face.

"Yeah?"

"Are we "together"?" He asked, pushing his palms together in anxiety as they continued to walk.

"What do you mean?"

Edd looked down, "As in, are we, um, dating?"

An expression crossed Kevin's face as if he had suddenly remembered that he forgot to buy milk on the way home. Of course, why hadn't he thought about that, Edd would worry about that kind of thing. He was about to tell Edd yes when he remembered what he had done.

That could hardly be counted as cheating could it, they had only kissed then, they had made no promises to each other, and Kevin was getting help, so it shouldn't matter. Pantene's word's echoed around in his head Only the illusion of power. Someone who's into that too.

Would Edd still want to be with him when he found out? Kevin gulped but then, he was filled with a sudden and strange feeling, his inner male taking over as it pumped testosterone everywhere, filling every extremity with confidence it didn't deserve and he began to stop, not just his movement but his straight thinking patterns too.

He griped Edd's shoulders in his hands and said, "Of course we're dating."

Then he leaned in and kissed Edd, in a hallway where anyone could see and Edd didn't care. He simply kissed back, relishing the feel of Kevin's firm yet soft lips as he got up onto his tiptoes to make the kiss easier. Fireworks went off in Edd's brain that night and he was glad that school hadn't yet started because he would be unable to concentrate on homework.

* * *

Next time: Taking it slow sucks to Kevin and Edd and Jim are reminded of their commoner status yet again; field-trips aren't always cheap.


	16. Chapter 16

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 16**

Kevin's hand's were big. As they rested on the small of Edd's back, the fingers stretched almost the entire way across, spreading out to offer more support as Kevin kissed him. Edd was idly aware of Kevin's biceps, those too quite large in proportion to Edd's body as they encircled him. They made him feel safe, as the skin of Kevin's arm brushed across Edd's neck, his other hand supporting the back of his head with another large palm and holding it in place as he turned sideways, maneuvering his tongue further into Edd's mouth.

It had been a week since he and Kevin had been officially dating but they hadn't really been able to get alone together in that time. They had sat next each other in classes and spoken to each other during lunch breaks and walking to their next class but they hadn't had the chance to really be alone. Now they were and it seemed like Kevin wanted to make the most of that.

Edd moaned into the kiss, feeling a flush dust his cheeks, following the small sound that Edd was all too self-conscious about making. Edd hoped that Kevin didn't see how red he could feel his cheeks becoming, but he wouldn't know, he had his eyes closed; he could only hope Kevin had done the same.

He felt the heat spreading down his neck as Kevin's fingers clenched slightly in a tic like impulse, the fabric of Edd's shirt sliding with Kevin's fingers, over his skin and making him give an involuntary little shiver.

Kevin pulled away for air, leaving a trail of saliva between their mouths as his tongue was still sticking out of his mouth as it hung open. He stared into Edd's eyes, his own heavy lidded with thick lashes as he breathed heavily, Edd feeling the warm puffs of air landing softly on his skin before Kevin close his mouth and sat up straight.

Edd noticed that Kevin's own cheeks were also dusted with a healthy glow, but it was from lust and the sensation of kissing, not embarrassment like Edd's had been. Kevin was so confident, Edd envied him.

Kevin's confidence was proved even further when he opened his mouth and said "I'm hard." His voice was low and raspy and over-laced with lust as were his eyes. Edd glanced down and saw a bulge in Kevin's trousers that made Edd's limbs suddenly feel weak and a lump formed in his throat.

"K-kevin. Do you mind if we stop here?" Edd said in a near incoherent babble. He didn't want to rush into things too quickly, he was far too scared.

Kevin looked in a daze for a while, like he was considering something but then he just nodded and said. "I understand, we can stop here if you like."

Edd felt like a large weight had been taken off of his shoulders. His face lit up. "Thank you for understanding, Kevin!"

Kevin smiled and said "Er, so what should we play videogames or something?"

* * *

Jim walked next to Plank on the way to P.E, bumping into him slightly every now and then accidentally. It reminded Jim of the first time he had heard Plank speak and it filled him with a strange sense of glee. It had been so long since then, since he had first moved in to the school and when he thought Plank was scary. Him and Plank were so close now Jim had nearly had withdrawal symptoms when he had gone home with Edd.

Plank was such a great guy. Sometimes he didn't make sense and sometimes he found it hard to say how he felt but Jim felt safe with him, Plank was definitely his bestfriend. His mind traveled to what Nat had said though and he began to wonder, could they be more? Jim wasn't very good at relationships with people, of any kind. Up until the beginning of his year there at Alter Waters Jim's only friend had been Edd. He never got good at making relationships and then distinguishing between them. Jim didn't really think he'd know if he liked someone even if the feelings came and hit him in the face.

He knew he felt safe around Plank, he knew he respected him and Plank made him happy. Was that enough? And then there was the issue of sexual attraction, he was turning sixteen that year and he still had no idea what that really felt like. Edd said that he was a late bloomer when Jim had asked him about it before but what if he wasn't, what if he never felt attraction towards people? The idea really kind of bothered Jim. He knew that being asexual wasn't all that unusual really. Many people went through life without experiencing sexual attraction at all but for some reason Jim didn't want to be like that. What if Plank wanted more than Jim could give him and he ended up losing him. The idea made his stomach turn.

Jim sighed, Edd and Kevin were dating now. Edd had accepted it himself but he still wanted to hide it from everyone else, he didn't want the repercussions of not only being gay but being with Kevin to turn around and bite him. Jim understood it, but at the same time he thought perhaps Edd was being a little selfish. Jim tried to keep things lighthearted most of the time, he hated judging people or making assumptions about people or impose his personal opinions on them unless they asked him. But he really couldn't bare to watch them sometimes, Edd was such a bundle of nerves, all he did was worry whenever Kevin was with him in public. It was something he'd have to get over if he wanted to be in a proper relationship.

Jim knew that what he had with Plank was just as dysfunctional a relationship. They hardly talked, it was an intimate relationship based of sideways glances and communication through body language. Of course, Jim and Plank did speak to each other, but not enough for them to really know each other. Jim didn't even know Plank's favorite colour.

"Hey Plank." Jim called in a cheery voice despite his soliloquy. Plank gave him a glance that meant "go on."

"What's your favourite colour?" Plank seemed surprised by the question, obviously seeing it as out of the blue. It was out of the blue.

"Green." He answered, he hadn't really realised just how green Jim was at the moment when he had answered but when he did he wondered if Jim would realise, probably not. But from his green hair, to eyes, to oversized jumper Jim was certainly very green.

Jim subconsciously brought a hand up to play with a lock of hair while he repeated "Green?"

Plank nodded and Jim smiled "It's my favourite colour too!"

Plank wasn't sure if Jim had realised or not so he decided to just keep to himself. Jim on the other hand was positively giddy. It might seem stupid to other people but Jim had found out that his closest friend had another thing in common with him. Jim was sure anybody who knew Plank would feel the same. He smiled big and bright as they continued on their way to their next class.

* * *

"What a coincidence, Jim." Edd said, "The two of you certainly do have a connection."

Jim was glad Edd understood, it was always so hard when Jim didn't have people to talk to about things. "Yeah, I feel like somehow I know him so much better now, but it was just a favourite colour." Jim giggled. "Oh by the way Edd, have you found out about that field trip to Paris?"

That's right, apparently when you go to Alter Waters, your tourism class takes you on excursions to Paris with only a weeks notice. Jim had really wanted to go and had got Edd to go see if their scholarship covered the costs of excursions as well.

"The headmistress said that she was very sorry, but no our scholarship only covers the cost of our school supplies, our classes and travel between the school and home."

Jim lowered his head, it was understandable that he was upset. Going to Paris would be very exciting, and Jim loved to broaden his horizons and explore new places but they needed money for that and there was no way they could afford it on such short notice.

"What's this about?" Kevin asked as he slid into the seat next to Edd while slinging an arm around his shoulder.

Edd opened his mouth and was about to say "nothing" when Jim said. "The field trip to Paris, I really want to go but our scholarship doesn't cover it."

It was almost instinctive, Kevin said. "Well I can pay for you both."

Edd knew he'd say that, but he didn't want Kevin to pay for them. Edd had enough trouble as it was, if the other students found out the prince had payed for him to go to Paris, all hell would break loose. On top of that, Edd had some (likely useless) sense of pride, being a commoner and he didn't want Kevin to pay for things for him just because he couldn't afford it.

Jim said something, again before Edd could protest. "You'd do that? Thanks Kevin! I'm really happy you and Edd are dating if it's going to be like this!"

Kevin chuckled a little but this time nobody was talking so Edd said. "Kevin I can't accept your money like that, it isn't right."

Kevin gave Edd an incredulous look. "I thought we went over this before, I have more money than I know what to do with, I'd be happy to spend it on you guys. You are my boyfriend and Jim's your little bro."

"Kevin it should not matter who we are." Edd said feeling himself becoming a little agitated.

"It matters to me." Kevin said.

"The only thing that should matter is that we are commoners! What, did you finally decide to act upon your birth written chivalry and goad the poor while you mock us with your silver-lined fingertips!" Edd had no idea where the anger had come from, it all just burst out of him, all of the resentment, all the pent up feelings of rage and hurt he had received from nobles since he had moved into Alter Waters all welled up inside him and flowed out like a fountain.

"Neither I or Jim need your royal due, we can get by of our own accord and we do not need to go to Paris to complete our studies so I can't see why this trip even has relevance."

After it had all flowed out, emotionally raw and verbose, Edd realized what he had done and he instantly felt like he wanted a void to swallow him up, where his ego would just disappear. Kevin looked, well furious. Edd was surprised, it really jangled his nerves. He had never seen anyone's face contort so much. His teeth were bared and he all but snarled as he got up, fists clenched at his side.

Jim couldn't sit and be quiet any longer he lunged forward over the table, not knowing what might happen and not wanting to wait to find out as he said, "Stop fighting you guys!"

Kevin ignored him. "Edd, it seems to me like you are a big fucking hypocrite."

That comment kicked him right in the inferiority complex.

"How am I a hypocrite!?" Edd hollered, indignant.

"You're acting like all "us nobles" see you as commoners and nothing more. We judge you and bully you and look down on you-"

"Because you do!" The choice of the word "you" made Kevin's blood boil.

"Stop fighting!" Jim pleaded again tugging on Kevin's shirt as Edd was on the inside of the table and he couldn't reach him, Kevin ignored him.

"But you are doing exactly the same to me, now. You know me! Why would I ever want to mock you with my money, I'd rather not have it. But I do have it and there's is nothing I can do to change that so I wanted to use it for good, I wanted to use it to make my boyfriend happy, what's so wrong about that?"

Edd was too far gone to back down now. "Don't impose your virtuosity upon me now! Do you think I can't spot a lie when I see one. Do you think my perceptions are really that clouded?"

"YES!" Kevin's voice shook the entire room, his anger pouring off of him in waves. _Don't hurt him. Don't hurt him. Don't hurt him._ The last remnants of his rationale echoed inside his head. He was filled with the urge to suddenly strip Ed of his clothes and fuck him into the window right there in his anger. It would stop him from hurting him (well at least it would stop him from hitting him) but Kevin knew it would be bad. Even if he managed to get Edd into a private area first it would be bad. Sex done out of anger was never good, Kevin didn't want a repeat of Nat and he didn't want his life to become like Fifty Shades of Grey.

He felt Jim's little hands pounding against his back suddenly and he looked at the distraught boy. "Stop fighting." He kept saying.

Kevin looked around the room and saw all the faces staring at him in awe, nobody would step in, he was the prince. He could do what he liked. This was what Edd was talking about. Sure, Kevin had never done anything wrong to Edd and he knew Edd was in the wrong for getting angry at him for trying to allow his boyfriend to come with him to Paris but he could at least see where the feelings were coming from now. Edd must have it stuck in his head that Kevin could throw him away whenever he wanted, and well he could.

Kevin looked into Edd's eyes and sure enough, he was scared. He was scared shitless. He thought Kevin was going to hit him or hurt him. "Damn" he whispered under his breath and before he even really knew what he was doing, he pulled Edd into a hug.

At first Edd tried to pull away but this was one thing Kevin would be alright using his physical strength in his benefit for. He held Edd tighter and eventually he felt the boys smaller arms wrap around his back as well. This would be one of many arguments, Kevin suddenly realised. But he couldn't give Edd up after they had only just started, it wouldn't sit right with him, and with that explosion of anger Edd had had, there had to be something else to it. Edd was usually very mellow so there had to be something that made him act out like that.

"Edd," Kevin's voice rolled out smooth and coaxing, but it wasn't in a patronizing way, Kevin was being genuine. "I am sorry for scaring you, but I will pay for your trip to Paris, and you will come with me and we will sort this out there." And with that he turned on his heel and left as quickly as he could.

Jim ran and quickly filled the space Kevin had previously inhabited, pulling Edd into a hug of his own. "Edd what was that all about?" Edd could hear how scared Jim was from his voice as it shook, his own legs were barely keeping him up. "He was being so nice to us, how could you say such horrible things to him?"

Edd's eyes widened, they weren't horrible, were they?

_Kevin's just proven to you what you knew all along. A voice said inside Edd's head. You're a hypocrite._

Edd felt nauseous as his hands subconsciously wrapped around Jim pulling him closer. "Edd, what have I done?"

_Usless. The voice chided. You can't do anything right can you?_

"No stop it." Edd whispered but it was barely above a whisper. Jim didn't hear it.

_He'll leave you once he realises you aren't worth it._

"No."

_He'll leave you just like your parents did._

Tears began to roll down Edd's cheeks and he was powerless to stop them. "Stop it." It was a little louder now and Jim looked up to see Edd. "Oh no."

_Even Jim has left you, he's much happier with Plank and Nat now._

"Come on Edd." Jim said grabbing him by the arm and pulling him out through the crowd of people that had luckily began to subside. "I'll take you back to my room. Me and Plank will look after you."

_Plank. That's all he's interested in. He's just doing this out of pity._

"No he isn't."

Jim frowned, "Who isn't Edd?" He asked as they excited the cafeteria and started their way to Jim's room, but he got no reply.

_Once Kevin and Jim finally decide to leave you, you'll have no one, all you'll have is me._

"No!" Edd screamed, suddenly. "Jim loves me!"

Jim frowned and began to walk a little faster. Not this again, it had happened before when Edd got really upset. It wasn't good, he didn't want to see Edd like that again. Faster he told himself. But he had to reassure Edd. "I do love you Edd."

"See!" Edd said, "Jim loves me."

_Are you sure, and what about Kevin. Does he love you? Once he finds out how fucked up you are, he'll leave you. You're hearing voices in your head for fucks sake. That can't be good._

"No!" Edd yelled. "You aren't real, the doctor told me you aren't real!"

Jim felt his heart-rate increase. It was happening again, now that Jim thought about it he could see the signs. All through the week, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. He had to hurry, he needed Planks help, he didn't know how he could help Edd on his own, all he knew how to do was get him away from people who might ridicule him or see him in such a weak state, and there was nobody better than Plank for that job.

_I'm as real as you are, Edd. As long as you live I will still be here. Because I am you. The voice laughed and it sent shivers down his spine. I'm a voice inside your head, one that your own mind created. You can't run from me, and you can't deny how real I am unless you also deny your own mind exists. It created me, after all._

"You can't exist, if I think you don't exist, you'll just go away because you are part of my mind." Jim was really starting to worry, damn it! "Damn it Edd, why did you have to pick now to do this?"

For a moment, Edd's mind was still. There was no hot poking from the inside, no dizziness, no confusion; no voice. Just white noise that buzzed from ear to ear but even that was welcome over what had been there before. He began to calm down.

He noticed that his hand was gripped in Jim's and that he was being dragged with quite a might towards Jim's room, it was after Jim had pushed him inside and closed the door behind him that he had the mind to say anything.

"I think I'm okay now, Jim. Thank you." The calmness of his voice surprised Jim, he wasn't expecting it, not at all. He was used to the manic drawl that was Edd in a panicked state.

Tension rolled out of his shoulders and he released a long and heavy breath. "Edd, don't do that to me again."

Edd smiled, "I am sorry Jim. I didn't mean to, I will try to keep myself in check in the future."

Did you really think you'd get rid of me that easily?

And Edd's world was thrown into turmoil again. He tried to keep himself sane this time though, focusing on things he could see and feel and smell and taste to keep his mind occupied. He saw that Plank was behind him, an inquisitive look on his face. It was raining outside which darkened the room some, it smelt faintly of rain too, even inside. He realised that was because the window was slightly open so he went to close it to stop the cold air from coming in. He noticed the cold temperature of the glass as he touched it and he relished as the stimulus not only kept his brain free of the voice but it cleared the white noise. His ears un-clogged and he heard Jim explaining what had just happened to Edd and then, snap.

_The voice's laugh echoed throughout his mind. I'm baaacccckkkk! Miss me?_

"I'm going to go get my psych teacher to see if she can help, I'll be back."

_He's leaving._

"He's trying to help me." Edd told the voice. Plank gave him a look, knowing what had happened because Jim had told him, he began to worry. It seemed as if it weren't over yet like Jim had thought. But Plank didn't know what to do or say so he just stood there. All he had to do was keep him from leaving the room, Jim and his psychology teacher could do the rest, if Plank tried to help it would probably just make things worse.

_You know it's really stuffy in this head of yours, I can't wait to get out and have a look around._

"You can't get out, you are part of my brain remember."

_I remember, anything you remember, I remember. And I don't know anything you don't, it's not so bad though, you know a lot of things._

"Of course, learning is imperative in our early stages of development. If I don't learn as much as I can now, it will only get harder the more my life goes on."

_If we don't learn you mean._

Edd chose to ignore it, using the technique of seeking stimulus to distract himself again. PLank just stood there as he waited for the scene in front of him to die down.

* * *

"Are you going to come to Paris with me, baby? It's the city of love so we have to go and pledge our feelings for each other under a starlit sky." Nat swooned as he sidled up next to Rave who was tapping his pencil against the page in thought.

"Don't make me vomit, I'm going nowhere."

Nat pouted "Why?"

Rave looked at Nat debating whether he should tell the truth or not with himself. "Because I have an audition in that week. I need to go to it."

Nat made an Oh-I-see kind of "ah" sound and said. "That the one you've been practicing the lines for?"

"Yes, I didn't do all that work for nothing, so you can go to Paris by yourself. Who knows, you might find someone nice over there, then you guys can pledge all you like and leave me the fuck alone."

"Don't be so could babycakes, I'll miss you."

Rave seethed at Nat. "Don't call me pet names."

Nat smirked, "Telling me no has never worked in the past, why do you think it will work now?"

Rave chose to ignore him instead as he got back to his homework.

"Fine, I'll stay here with you and help you prepare for your audition."

Now that, Rave wasn't expecting. He looked at Nat, a shocked expression on his face when he realised the other boy was entirely serious.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I heard you but I don't believe you. Why would you stay back, just for me?"

Nat gave a shy smile. "Because I meant it, I'll miss you if I go, so I want to stay here with you."

Rave blinked. Looked down at his paper, then back at Nat again. "T-thanks." Rave said not sure how to respond to such blatant honesty.

"So, how can I help?"

Rave quickly forgot his earlier state of off-guard-ness and smirked. "You can start by giving me a blowjob."

"Right now?"

"Yep."

"Your wish is my command."

"Oh jesus... fuck.. Where the hell did you get an ice cube from?! Shit, fuck! I don't care anymore. It's cold but JESUS!"

* * *

"How is he?" Miss Harlet said to Jim as they came into Jim's room to find Edd pacing the room. Both of them stopped at the site.

"No I will not eat pumpkin just because you tell me to!"

Both of them turned to Plank and he answered their question before they could answer. "He's been talking to himself since the two of you left."

Jim sighed, "Damn it Edd."

Miss Harlet looked worried. "Look Jim, before we do anything I want you to promise me you'll take him to a real psychiatrist afterwards. I don't have the same qualifications as they do, all I really needed to know was what I teach the kids, in fact the bulk of my time in uni was learning how to teach, not psychology."

Jim nodded. "Okay, I will but I want you to try and help if you can."

"Okay, well before I try talking to Edd, do you think you could give me some background info?" She asked and Jim replied, "Sure."

"Has this happened before?" She asked.

"Yes, it has."

"And what was that like?"

Jim made an uncomfortable face as he struggled to bring up the memories. They were bitter and unpleasant but he knew that if he was going to help Edd he needed to bring them up. "He was like this for weeks, always yelling or talking to himself. We were all so worried. So far this time doesn't seem as bad, he was able to talk to me normally before I left."

Harlet nodded, "Okay and did anything happen before that time?"

"Yeah." Jim swallowed. "Edd was in a car accident."

Harlet seemed surprised but continued her questioning. "Do you know any specific details about that?"

"All I know is that he had lost mum and dad and had gone looking for them when he stepped in front of a car. Also, he has a scar on his head because of the accident.

_Hear that? They're talking about our accident. Remember how your parents didn't love you, they abandoned you. If they really loved you you wouldn't of been hit by that car that day_.

"Shut up! Shut up! I don't want to hear about the fucking car accident!" Edd screamed and Jim immediately began to worry. He ran over and placed his hands on Edd's shoulders and shaking him.

"Edd, look it's me, Jim. You're okay."

The voice in his head slowly became less audible as it was drowned out by Jim's and he realised that Jim was standing in front of him. Edd reached a hand out to touch him. "Jim, hello Jim." He said and Jim let out a sigh of relief.

"Edd, can you tell me what's going on in your head right now?"

"He's talking to me. He keeps telling me that I'm worthless. I'm not worthless am I Jim?"

_You're as worthless as they come._

"No way Edd! You are incredibly smart and talented. Remember, you got into Alter Waters, and you helped me get in too then you topped all of the classes. You are smarter than the nobles, you are worth so much Edd."

Edd blinked. That's right, he had done that hadn't he.

_That may be so, but still, Kevin has left you, he didn't want you._

"Jim, what happened with Kevin?" He asked as he tried hard to remember.

"Well you yelled at Kevin and you made him really upset because he was just trying to be nice." Edd remembered then. "But he realised you were having a hard time so he told you he'd take you to Paris anyway so that you guys could sort your problems out there. He wanted to make things better." Jim said picking every word carefully. He couldn't lie to Edd, that'd only cause further problems, but if there was anything he had learnt from the last time it had happened it was that inflating Edd's ego helped a lot.

_You don't believe him, do you?_

Edd shook his head, of course he believed Jim, now the voice was just getting desperate. What had happened to him anyway, he had let the voice get in his head and take over again and he had made Jim worry. That wasn't like Edd at all, he was better than that, and he knew it. It was his job to keep Jim safe so he couldn't worry about every little thing.

_You can't get rid of me forever, Edd. I am a part of you, I will come back._

But that was the last thing the voice said as it was sucked away. Edd's head cleared, it was like he felt a change in pressure. There was a sudden pop and all of Edd's senses were suddenly serving him full-flux. He hadn't realised how blocked off he had been.

He breathed and felt the coolness of the air as it entered his lungs. He could feel fabric press against his skin as his arms brushed past his shirt. He was okay.

Jim noticed the shift in Edd demeanor and began to calm. But he couldn't relax completely, he didn't know how long this new calm would last.

"My sincerest apologies, Jim, for making you worry." Edd said, that was a good start. He turned his head and saw a bewildered miss Harlet. "Greetings Miss Harlet. What are you doing in here?"

She shook her head a bit. "I came in here to check up on you. Do you know what just happened?"

"I do" Edd said "And I am sorry that it reached the point where Jim had to go and retrieve you. That was weak of me, I will not let it happen again."

"I'm glad you're okay Edd!" Jim said hugging him. "I was so scared."

Edd softened a little. "I know Jim." He said hugging his brother close to him. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

* * *

Bet you all weren't expecting that. :P

Next time: Learn why Edd reacted so strongly to what seemed like a kind offer. Rome is the city of love, will confessions of one thing lead to confessions of another?


	17. Chapter 17

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 17**

Harlet looked really quite confused at what had happened in front of her. "That problem seems to have resolved itself." She said.

Edd looked at her with an apologetic face. "Thank you for coming here to check up on me, but it is as you say, the problem has resolved itself."

Harlet nodded and said, "Even so, I think you should go see a psychiatrist, whatever that was, it can't be healthy and I know how hard you've worked to get here, I'd hate for it to affect your studies."

Harlet new a lot about the Marion brothers, Jim was her top psychology student, always eager to learn and very intuitive in his own sense, he had constant conversations with her after class and she had began to learn a lot about him and his home situation and his brother Edd. It seemed they had more than one problem to face attending this school. If Harlet had said she wasn't worried, she would be lying, especially after seeing what she just had.

"I will not see a psychiatrist!" Edd snapped as memories came flooding back.

"_Wow, you are one screwed up kid, aint ya?"_

Edd hadn't been expecting that, not at all. Weren't psychiatrists meant to help?

_**See, even he knows how pathetic you are.**_

"_Shut up." Edd had said to his voice, but the psychiatrist thought he was talking to him._

"And rude too." He cracked his neck, rubbing a hand over it to release some tension in his neck. "You know after ten years of dealing with the insane, you get _sick of their bullshit._

_Edd's voice laughed inside his head. __**I like him.**_

"_I'm not insane." Edd said, unsure of it himself._

"Of course you are, you're the classic beginnings of a schizophrenic. You're as crazy as they come."

"Edd" Harlet's voice brought Edd back to the present. "You have to seek help, you can't risk this happening again."

"I'm fine." Edd said and he was able to keep himself from yelling. "Thank you, please I just need to be alone with Jim right now."

Harlet nodded. "Okay, Edd." She turned her gaze to Jim. "I will see you in the psych room then."

Jim nodded back at her and she pursued her lips, looking as if she wanted to say more, but then she left.

Edd let out a breath of relief.

"Should I leave too?" Plank asked in his low voice and Edd felt incredibly endeared to him right then.

"No Plank." He said with a breathy half laugh. "I deceived Miss Harlet in order to get her to leave. I did not want her to press the issue further, you are fine Plank. Thank you for thinking of me though."

Plank nodded and Edd turned his attention back to Jim answering his question before he could ask it. "I can't go to a psychiatrist Jim, you know what happened last time."

Jim frowned, "Edd, that guy was just a bad egg, I would have it a guess there was something wrong with him himself with the kind of things he said to you but you can't judge all psychiatrists the same as him, I'm sure there are some good ones."

Edd wished he could believe that, but he couldn't. Well, it made sense intellectually but not emotionally and Edd wasn't ready to deal with another meltdown like that again.

"I am not willing to take the risk." Edd answered. "Look Jim, we can deal with this later, right now I need to go apologize to Kevin."

Jim ended up dropping the subject and he smiled a defeated smile as he sighed. There was no use trying anymore, Edd was stubborn as they come. "Okay." He said. "I think he'll like that."

Edd nodded and Jim said lastly before he left. "Just be careful, if you think you're going to have another meltdown, get here as soon as you can, I can explain it to Kevin later."

Edd nodded. "Do not worry, Jim. I will be fine." And with that he left.

It didn't take Jim long before he turned around and he was being cradled in Planks arms. Plank could practically taste Jim's tension throughout the whole ordeal and with the rate at which things happened the poor boy must have gone through an emotional rollercoaster. It even got to Plank himself a bit.

"Plank, I was so scared, I still am."

Plank said nothing, he simply raised a hand to stroke Jim's hair as his other hand wound around the smaller boy more tightly. He knew how much Jim loved his brother, Jim loved his brother more than Plank loved Jim and Plank would do anything to keep Jim safe (not that he'd ever say that mind you). Plank would always admire that. From what Jim had told him, the two of them had to stick together when they were younger and look after each other in their parent's absence. Jim said a lot of the time he felt like the older brother instead of it being the other way around but there were also many times when Edd had looked after Jim, after he had gotten hurt in a fight or when he was nursing him back to health from a cold.

"It will be okay." Plank said and effortlessly lifted Jim off the ground and placed him on his lap as Plank flopped onto the bed. Jim curled up into him and he seemed to fit on Plank's lap perfectly, like each curve of their bodies fit into the curves of the other's, like a jigsaw puzzle.

"Plank, what would I do without you?" Jim asked softly as he nuzzled his face into Planks neck.

"You'd do everything. You'd be just as strong and wonderful as you are now." Plank had been becoming more audacious since he met Jim, especially when it was just the two of them. He had begun to open himself up again and well, whenever he did, Jim never disappointed.

Small arms wrapped around Plank tighter as a small voice called, "Thank you, Plank."

* * *

Edd didn't have time to worry about what had just happened or how he could fix it. It had been five years since he had last heard it, five years of peace. How could something so simple trigger it again? That didn't matter though, Edd was determined to make amends with Kevin, and apologize for the harsh words he had said prior.

His fists were clenched at his sides, Edd wouldn't allow his past to stunt his growth, he would press on. Before he could even think about what he was doing he burst through Kevin's door and screamed, "I apologize profusely for my actions, Kevin! I will not allow it to happen again!"

Kevin all but screamed like a little girl as he jumped backwards at the sight of Edd suddenly bursting through his door with a determined look on his face. But he quickly calmed down and began to feel extremely happy and relieved when he heard what Edd had said.

"You did kind accuse me of being an asshole when all I did was invite you to come with me to Paris." His voice was cool and playfully mockful.

"I - I know, Kevin. I realise now that I was directing my anger towards other people at you, and if you will listen I would like to try and explain myself."

Kevin looked at Edd with careful eyes, "Go on."

"Okay..."

_"Hey Double d!" an unfamiliar voice had called. Edd turned around to see who it was, seeing a boy about the same height as he was, maybe shorter by about an inch. He had thick, curly, black hair and dark brown eyes. He was unfamiliar and Edd wondered who he was._

"Who are you?" He inquired.

"My name's Ethan." The boy replied with a charismatic smile.

_"Okay then, Ethan, what is it that you are after?"_

_The boy smiled, "I just wanted to give you a little heads up about your boyfriend, the prince."_

_Edd's body stiffened up, "How do you know about me and Kevin?"_

Ethan smirked in a way that scared Edd more than he could logically explain. "I have my sources." He said and his voice was like ice.

_Edd didn't want to waste time interrogating the boy on how he had discovered Edd's relationship with Kevin, it had only been a couple of days so it was no big deal yet. Edd was afraid of the backlash that would occur if people found out he was dating Kevin but now he was more interested in that "heads up."_

_"What is it that you would like to warn me about?" Edd asked, his eyes narrowing as the boy took a couple of steps closer._

_"Don't you think it's strange that the prince is dating you, a commoner?" The words had seemingly come out of nowhere but the cut through Edd like a knife, his insecurities bubbling to the front of his brain suddenly and festering there in dark augury. _

_"I - of course not." Edd managed to say defiantly._

_Don't lie." And it felt like Edd had just been struck at the throat, he couldn't say anything._

_"It's strange because the prince should want nothing to do with you, he could pick anyone he wants, he has all the money and all the choice in the world. Why would he settle for you when he could have, I dunno an actual girl. You mihgt have a tight ass but nothing beats pussy."_

_"What do you want!" Edd cried his voice trembling._

_"I just wanted to know that there's no need for you to play faggot honeymoon with our prince because he only wants you for sex. He's going to use you until he finds something better, something with tits and a vag and then he's going to toss you aside." Ethan chided, "I'd hate for you to get hurt by the fallout so if you'd fuck off now, I won't have to worry about it."_

Kevin looked shocked. "Who the fuck is this Ethan guy!" He yelled angrily as he got off of his bed, anger rolling off him in waves. Edd gripped his arm and told him to calm down, which he managed before he slumped back onto his bed.

"Please Kevin, no violence. Just, let me finish." Kevin puffed out a breath of frustration but nodded. The thing that made him angry the most was that at a time, that had been true. And well, Kevin was angry not only at Ethan but himself. Kevin knew whoever this Ethan was was basing his opinions off what Kevin had done in the past, but that just wasn't him anymore. Kevin had changed and so had his feelings for Edd.

"Kevin, I was afraid that it was true, I am sorry for doubting you." He paused and then added. "It was the reason I withheld sexual intercourse from you."

Kevin sighed and scratched the back of his head, noticing that he wasn't wearing his hat and then spotting it over on the table. "Shit, Edd. I would never use you only for sex." He bit his lip, he knew he couldn't lie. "I mean, I wouldn't be against only having sex with someone and not having an emotional connection with them. I've done it before and that's probably where Ethan has gotten this idea from, but not with you. If that's what I wanted I would have let you know from the beginning" Maybe a little lie wouldn't hurt. "But I told you we were dating, I'd never do that unless I wanted there to be something more."

Edd nodded. "Thank you, Kevin."

"Look." Kevin said again, "Shit, it's only been a week and this has already happened?"

Edd laughed, half awkward, half genuine. "It is rather dysfunctional isn't it? I suppose every relationship travels at different speeds and through different roads."

Kevin smiled. "Yeah I guess you're right." He paused, "Edd, I'm bisexual, you know that right?"

Edd nodded, a little worried as to where Kevin might be taking this. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to want a girl and a guy at the same time or that one sex or the other wouldn't satisfy me. Your gender will never affect how much I like you, okay? And neither will your social status for that matter."

Edd's eyes lit up and his heart was filled with joy. He felt like he might fly into the sky. "Thank you, Kevin. I do not feel the same, unfortunately." Kevin's heart sank. "I would not be dating you if you were a girl." and then Kevin felt stupid and laughed at himself and Edd. "But, I do like you and I am willing to give this relationship another go."

Kevin said suddenly "You're coming with me to Paris and so is Jim."

This time, Edd could appreciate Kevin's enthusiasm. "Yes, Kevin."

"No better place for new beginnings than Paris."

"Kevin, I realise we haven't met or developed our relationship in conventional ways, but I'm ready to try again. Paris it is."

* * *

"WE'RE IN FRANCE!" Jim yelled as soon as his feet hit the ground at the airport then he started running around excitedly making an assortment of "woohoo" type sounds. Edd shook his head and laughed at Jim, he really did want to come.

Paris was a very beautiful city, more beautiful than the pictures Edd had seen made it out to be. At night the many lights dazzled Edd and they seemed to dance as the bus him and his classmates were on traveled forward. All kinds of colours reflected off the window and blurred past in a beautiful display. There were dark rivers illuminated by the same lights that were also beautiful and the Eiffel tower was just stunning.

Edd was in awe of everything but Jim was overly excited. He kept tapping either Edd or Plank on the arm or leg and pointed at something with dire need. He couldn't help but get entranced by everything that was around him and Edd found it rather cute, as did Plank. But Edd didn't see Kevin anywhere and he was beginning to worry.

The bus ride was great, but it was even better when they got to take a step onto the ground and into the fresh night air. They were going to be staying in a five star hotel (of course) called the Hotel de Crillon and they were currently stood right outside of it.

"Whoa." Jim said as he stared at the buildings architecture. It was old by design, the outside housing pillars and statues carved from marble reminiscent of ancient rome. It was very beautiful and antediluvian. Edd was thoroughly impressed by it and amazed that the school could afford it, even for nobles that was a bit much, wasn't it?

"It's beautiful." Jim said and Edd nodded. "It is isn't it."

Edd began to look around for Kevin again. He wanted to thank him for letting he and Jim come. It was a great experience and even without the rewards it posed on it's own, how happy Jim was becoming made it all worth it. But Kevin was nowhere to be seen.

The inside was breathtaking, simply beautiful. The walls and ceilings were laced with gold and white, carving intricate and beautiful patterns under the warm coloured glow of the chandeliers. The floors were polished to a t and reflected a lot of the light, giving it many patches of simply white that covered the white and black checkers of the marble floor. Some rugs equally as beautiful littered the rooms and halls, red and gold and usually holding a table or another object on top of it.

"Wow, there's a lot of gold everywhere." Jim commented.

"Yes, that is because people commonly associate the colour gold with wealth." Edd explained. "Making many things gold gives the illusion of wealth and prestige, I would have it a guess that they are not only trying to impress but also keep those without money out. In other words it's to intimidate as well as excite."

Jim nodded, "That makes sense, good thing Kevin payed for us then, otherwise we'd be screwed." Jim gave a grin as they were taken to the receptionists desk in the foyer.

Mr Lander, the Tourism teacher spoke with the receptionist in french.

"Bonsoir, monsieur. Nous sommes à l'Académie des Alter Waters, nous avons fait une réservation."

"Oui, je vais juste récupérer les clés des chambres, vous serez logés dans" The receptionist replied and he disappeared behind a door.

"He's gonna go get our keys." Mr Lander explained and Edd laughed a little at how different he sounded in english, gruff and perpetually irritated compared to his french voice which was elegant and light.

"Ici, vous êtes, monsieur. Je vous laisse vous allouez les chambres de vos élèves vous-même." He said handing Mr Lander a box and smiling a polite smile.

"Merci." Mr Lander finished curtly before turning around and looking at the class. "Everyone pair off." He said, "Then one from each pair come get a key from this box, that will be your room for the rest of this trip."

Edd wondered who he'd room with when he heard a voice. "Um, hi. I don't really have anybody to room with, do you mind if I room with you?"

Edd turned around to see that it was Kevin and a confused expression crossed his face. "Kevin! Where have you been?"

This time a confused look crossed Kevin's face. "How do you know my name?"

Okay, had Edd lost his mind again? Then he looked into Kevin's eyes and saw the hint of a smile there and Edd realised what Kevin was doing. _New beginnings._

Edd decided to play along. "Everybody knows your name, you're the prince."

Edd saw the subtle change in Kevin's expression signifying that Kevin was happy Edd had caught on. "Wow you're right, that's a little embarrassing." Kevin paused. "So, how about it?"

Edd nodded, "Sure" he said.

Edd and Kevin drew the keys out for their room and immediately headed for it. Room number 114, which happened to be right next to Jim and Plank's room.

The rooms themselves were equally as beautiful as the rest of the hotel and Edd couldn't hold in his excitement as he looked around.

"IT'S SO HUGE!" He heard Jim screaming from next door and both of them giggled.

"Is that your brother?" Kevin asked and Edd wondered how long this "not knowing each other thing would go on for."

Edd smiled "Yes it is, he is rather boisterous when he wants to be."

Edd began searching around the room and checking out all the specks. They had a fridge, a television two beds both large and fluffy looking and a bathroom the size of a small country. Edd practically threw his clothes off right then and there to get into the bath that he thought he might be able to do scuba-diving practice in.

"I'm in the bathroom, Kevin. I will be out in a moment!"

"Okay!" Kevin called back. "Make sure to get yourself extra clean!"

Edd blushed at the implications behind Kevin's words. "Kevin is a teenage boy." Edd reminded himself. "Just like you are." He added perkily as he turned on the tap. "He's just got a lot of testosterone making him want to engage in sex all of the time. He likes you, he doesn't want to use you, stay calm."

Edd climbed into the bath and began to soak all of his stress away. He hadn't really thought about everything that had been going on lately in all the rush of it. He had became Kevin's boyfriend, made out with him for the first time, become scared that Kevin only wanted to use him, had his first fight with Kevin, seen Kevin more angry than he had ever seen him, had his voice come back and gone to Paris all in the span of one week. That was kind of crazy, that was nearly Romeo and Juliet level crazy, but not quite.

Edd felt all of the stress soak out of his bones as he spread his legs out and relaxed. The water came out of a lions mouth (Edd wished he could be imagining it) and it rolled over his leg pleasantly before it filled the bath further. He found a bath scent and poured an amount into the bath. It smelt like roses, Edd liked the smell of roses, and when he got out of the bath, he would smell like roses. After the bath scent, he cleaned himself and washed his hair. His scar was still there, reminding him of the incident that had happened before with his voice.

"Jim, why is it still here, after all this time I thought it'd leave."

_I'll be here forever. _He thought he heard, but it could have just been his imagination. Which was a confusing and scary thought to have, how could he tell the difference between the voice and his imagination or were they the same thing?

He shook his head, refusing to think about it. It was a fruitless topic to ponder and Edd knew it, he had to focus on the here and the now otherwise he'd lose himself again.

He heard a knocking on the door, "Edd." Kevin's voice called.

Edd got out of the bath making splashing noises as he waded out of the bath and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist before he went to the door and opened it.

"Put this on." Kevin said handing Edd some clothes, stuff from Edd's own suitcase. Edd also noticed that Kevin's voice had returned to it's usual sternness, Edd supposed the newly met game was over.

"Why, Kevin?" Edd asked as he took the clothes from Kevin's hands and examined them.

"Because I like the way you look in them and we're going on a date tonight."

Edd felt his voice catch in his throat. "D-date? Have you just decided that on your own?"

Edd didn't need to see it to know that Kevin was smirking behind the door. "Yes." The sound of footsteps signified Kevin had left.

Edd shook his head and sighed but put the clothes on anyway. It was kind of cute that Kevin had no idea how to act around Edd. Edd assumed that it was because Kevin was used to being around people that would fall to his feet the minute he walked past, Edd hadn't treated Kevin any different just because he was the prince, well, he hadn't started worshiping him at least.

Edd dried himself off properly and stepped into his clothes. They were a pair of jeans a white shirt and a low cut, cream coloured cashmere sweater. Edd frowned, these were the clothes he usually wore, in fact, he had multiple duplicates of them that he always wore for the familiarity and individuality it gave his character design.

_I like the way you look in them._

Edd blushed a bit, Kevin liked the way he looked in his everyday clothes and asked Edd to dress in them to go on a date. He held the sweater that he had not yet put on close to his chest. Kevin definitely knew how to make Edd feel good about himself. He finally slid the sweater on over his head before he realised he hadn't brought his hair dryer in with him. Damn.

He peeked out of the door to see if Kevin was around, which it looked like he wasn't and then quickly ran out grabbing his hair dryer from his suitcase and running back into the bathroom. He sighed with relief before he plugged it in and started blow-drying his hair. He would hate for Kevin to see his scar now, it would surely turn Kevin completely off Edd and Edd didn't want that.

Finally, when his hair was dry and his black beanie with the two white stripes was settled nicely on his head, he walked out of the bathroom in search of Kevin. But Kevin was still nowhere to be found. Edd looked in every corner of the room but found nothing. How odd. Giving up, he sat on one of the beds and felt it with his hands. The blankets were nice and warm and soft it felt like they were made from pure silk, as would be expected of a hotel like the Hotel de Crillon.

The door opened and Kevin walked in wearing a full, form fitting suit. Kevin looked dazzling, polished and for once, prince like. Not the kind of prince of the medieval times but a modern prince. He looked assertive, powerful and handsome and, well hot.

"How do I look?" He asked doing a little twirl and Edd got to see how the suit pants hugged his ass and that made his face glow a bit more. "You look fantastic, Kevin. Positively august."

Edd gave a little twirl of his own feeling stupid seeing as he was wearing his normal clothing but having fun at the same time. "How do I look, Kevin."

Kevin smiled. "You look adorable."

Edd smiled bashfully. "Thank you, Kevin."

* * *

The date was at a restaurant inside the hotel. They ate french food that Edd loved the taste of like les canard aux orange and pate de foi gras, Edd's favorite was the les canard aux orange, though. He just loved duck in general, but the french had a way of cooking it, or maybe it was because he was in a classy restaurant instead of eating duck sushi from his local sushi-bar.

Kevin ate coq au vin and they eat while talking about how rich the flavours of the foods they were eating were or how beautiful the city was. Strangely enough, the date ended up seeming like one two tourists who had met in paris might have. It was full of "Getting to know you" questions that neither Kevin nor Ede realised they hadn't known about each other. Simple things like pets, favorite colours and favorite movies. Edd learnt a lot.

He also enjoyed his first glass of red wine ever, encouraged by the waiters and by Kevin. Like they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. The alcoholic taste wasn't as strong as some other things Edd had tried but it didn't exactly taste good either. It had a unique taste, and that's all Edd could really say about it. He didn't like drinking at all so he wouldn't really need to worry about which type of alcohol he liked best.

Edd was very full when they finished and Kevin brought them back up to their room. "That was the best first date I've had in awhile." Kevin commented.

"That was the first date I've had ever."

Kevin looked shocked, "No way."

"Of course Kevin, do you really think there would be a lot of gay men in the small little town I come from? Girls had asked me on dates but I'd always declined because I was never attracted to them."

"Yeah, I hear ya. I mean, I don't think I'll ever understand not being attracted to girls, but like I get it. If that makes any sense."

"I feel the exact same way towards people being attracted to women." Edd said with a slight digging tone.

Kevin smiled ride a laughed out loud. He punched Edd lightly on the arm. "You're really shitty about sexuality aren't you?" he said playfully.

"What I am "shitty" about is sexual orientation and it's misconceptions, not sexuality. And I've been tormented for it all my life, I have a good reason." Edd gave Kevin a sideways glance and a small smile.

"Jesus you're sexy when you stand up to me." Kevin whispered.

"Kevin, keep it g-rated. We haven't even returned to our room yet." Edd said with a giggle and Kevin laughed back.

Soon enough though they had returned to their room and Kevin's eyes had taken on a new form as he slowly shut the door, making a soft clicking noise. Edd stared at the other boy, soaking up the site of him in formal clothing and without a hat and when he looked into his eyes, he saw they were filled with lust. Not as much as they had been the last time Edd had really seen those eyes, but it was a considerable amount.

"We're back now." Kevin said, but that was all he said as he took a step forward, moving painfully slow with his eyes trained on Edd as if he were some kind of animal that need be hunted.

Edd gulped, he was filled with two very strong emotions, one was fear, and the other lust. He wanted Kevin, he did, more than he ever had before, and the date and the small glass of wine had warmed him up to the idea a little more. But there was still that small part of him that feared Kevin would use him.

Kevin took another step forward and Edd wondered if he had somehow slowed down time. Things were going too slow, everything was a haze and the only thing that was really clear was Kevin's eyes, hungry and beautiful as he got closer.

Soon Edd could see the iris in more detail and he saw the dark outer ring and fleck of gold and lime that danced through his forest coloured eyes, the highlight was dim, only lit by the moon leaking in through the window but his eyes still seemed to shine.

Suddenly they were close together and Edd's heart was beating out of his chest. This really was a new beginning, just like the first time they had kissed. He was so nervous, his throat was dry and his palms clammy with sweat. HIs back went rigid and straightened the more close Kevin got. His arms were pressed against his side and he stood there still, only able to stare into Kevin's eyes before the inevitable happened.

A hand brushed across Edd's cheek and as Kevin realised how soft Edd's skin was, Edd noticed how calloused Kevin's were. He supposed it was from gripping a baseball bat tightly in his hands but that thought was soon chased away as he felt his face being pulled closer to Kevin's and then they kissed.

Just like before as soon as they kissed it was like Kevin had sent a bolt of lightning right down Edd's spine, his body shook and acted on instinct, taking a step forward and kissing Kevin back. He closed his eyes, turning his head sideways as he stepped up onto his tiptoes to deepen the kiss. Kevin's hand's circle around Edd's waste and supported him as Kevin bent down further in his own attempt to make the kissing easier.

Edd became light headed and he felt like some strange drug was pumping through his veins, it gave him confidence, made him want to do more to Kevin. So he slipped his hands under Kevin's coat, not able to get them under the tight and tucked in shirt and he slid them up Kevin's back, drawing circles there as they broke apart slightly for air before mashing the lips together again.

Kevin pulled away, and panted, lowering Edd a little bit so that the smaller boy knew he needed to catch his breath. Edd noticed the flush both their faces had received and smiled to himself slightly, feeling somehow rebellious. But then, Kevin gave him a very serious look and it commanded almost all of Edd's attention.

"Is it okay if I am a little rough?" He asked suddenly, his eyes making it clear that this was both serious to him but something that Edd could choose to say no to. "Nothing to bad, just like when we kissed the first time."

If Edd was honest with himself and despite the fact that he was a virgin, the idea of Kevin being rough with him kind of excited him. Edd didn't like the thought, it made him feel lewd and dirty but at the same time it was true and he couldn't deny that. He promised himself when he came out as gay that he would never deny himself anything.

"You can be rough." Edd breathed and that was all the incentive Kevin needed. Before Edd could orientate himself, Kevin had lifted him up into the air and slammed him onto the bed, again with enough force for Edd to feel a jolt but nowhere near enough to hurt. Kevin clambered on top of Edd, placing his knees by either side of Edd's hips and securing them there firmly. He reached for Edd's hands, pushing them up above his head, again like he had last time, and pinning them too the bed with his strength. Edd noticed idly that he wasn't going anywhere any time soon but was distracted as Kevin's face was suddenly in his again and they were kissing.

The kisses became wet, sloppy and needy. Kevin had been waiting so long and he had become careless in his anticipation, but he didn't care and Edd didn't either. They breathed heavily into each others faces as they kissed and sucked on each other's lips, tongue brushing along teeth and the roofs of mouths.

Kevin began to grind his crotch into Edd's, rocking back and forth and causing a gaunt groan to escape Edd's lips. It was a sensation he had never felt before, he had never even tried masturbating so it was completely knew. It felt king of like being tickled, but nothing like it at all. It was a good feeling, that was all Edd could really describe it as as his brain became foggy from lust.

Kevin broke away and said "Don't move your arms." Which Edd obeyed as Kevin began biting at his earlobes and kissing down his neck, causing more lightning bolts to go down his spine. Edd's obedience turned Kein on as his hands found their way to the bottom of Edd's Sweater and lifted it up above his head, leaving it on his arms as it layed behind his neck, making it impossible for Edd to move his arms up unless Edd sat up and Kevin would allow that now. Although Edd's obedience turned him on, Kevin really liked it when the people he fucked couldn't move even if they wanted to.

A thought occurred to Kevin, "Are you alright with this Edd, not scared or uncomfortable?"

Edd was taken aback but glad by Kevin's thoughtfulness. Edd had been so caught up in the moment that he forgot to be scared or even that he was a virgin, but Kevin had obviously remembered. He really was sweet.

"I'm fine." Edd said, "Keep going."

Kevin nodded but slid the sweater completely off of Edd's arms regardless. He could have the bondage conversation with Edd later that way, they could do it properly and safely, there was no way Kevin would let Edd have a bad first experience.

He continued his kissing and he trailed them down to Edd's collar bones as he tentatively undid the buttons of his shirt. Kevin continued kissing down the middle of Edd's torso, following his hands as they undid Edd's buttons, when he reached Edd's navel, he sat up and threw his jacket to the ground followed by the loosening of his tie. He noticed that Ed had kept his hands in the position Kevin had left them in and the idea that Edd would leave them there even when Kevin stopped to take his own clothes off, just because Kevin had asked him to, turned him on.

He leaned forward pressing his hands into Edd's chest and kneading the flesh there with his hands as he growled in his throat, leaned forward and kissed Edd again. Edd lifted his head to meet Kevin's as they kissed and moaned into Kevin's mouth as the larger boy began to brush his fingers over Edd's nipples.

Kevin pulled away again, taking the time to watch as the moonlight illuminated Edd's skin, giving it a soft and beautiful glow, he also saw how pink Edd's nipples were and thought he might snort. He leaned down and began licking Edd's nipples as he began the grinding again, noticing that Edd had become completely hard as he brushed up against Kevin's half hardness, but it didn't stay that way for long. Knowing that Edd was hard already also turned Kevin on.

Edd moaned as the stimulation was completely new to him and he arched his back involuntarily at the feeling. Kevin began to kiss down his middle again, sticking his tongue out and sliding it down Edd's navel which had been shaven, or maybe it was never there. Edd squirmed at the feeling of the wet muscle and Kevin smirked into his skin.

Before he could do anything more Kevin undid the buttons on his own shirt instruction Edd, "Take yours off." Edd complied and watched as Kevin's now revealed and lean chest muscles stretch as he leaned across to the stand that was next to the bed. He opened the draw and pulled out some lube and a condom that he had stashed there earlier.

When Kevin got back, Edd's shirt was off and he was lying there, his arms had returned the the position Kevin had instructed him to keep them and his face was dusted with a healthy red glow, his eyes glazed over with lust. It went straight to Kevin's cock.

He didn't waste anymore time as he hastily undid Edd's jeans and slid the zipper down, not even bothering to take the pants completely off before he mouthed the bulge in Edd's underwear causing the smaller boy to moan again.

Kevin was sliding Edd's pants down when he heard Edd's shaky voice call, "Can I touch you?"

_He asked fucking permission. He fucking asked permission._ Kevin's erection was so monstrous it threatened to tear through the fabric of his pants. "Yes."

Kevin said, forgetting Edd's bulge as he scooted up the boys torso, sitting on his chest. Edd looked up into Kevin's eyes with his own shimmering with nerves. _Why are you so fucking cute?_ Kevin questioned in his brain before he let out a soft sight at the feeling of Edd's curious touch on his cock.

He palmed it through the fabric, testing it, like you would to see if a bath was too hot or not. Deciding that it was safe to touch it, Edd enclosed his hand around the bulge causing Kevin to purr low in his throat. It wasn't the physical stimulation as much as it was Edd's curiosity and hesitation that was turning Kevin on.

"Can I take it out of your pants?"

_Fuck yes! _Kevin could work with this. "Of course, baby."

Edd unzipped Kevin's pants like Kevin had him and then pulled down Kevin's underwear allowing his erection to spring free, thick and full as it stood on end. Edd's eyes widened at the sight but he was more curious by how big it was rather than frightened. His hand reached out again and fastened at the base giving it a small tug and causing Kevin to groan in anticipation.

Edd began to stroke it, long and slow at first as he watched curiously as the foreskin covered the head and revealed it again. Edd began to think choosing not to masturbate was a bad idea, he was far too fascinated by a penis.

"What do we do now?" Edd asked and Kevin had to cover his mouth with his hand to stop him from laughing out loud.

"Well, now it's your turn." Kevin said, shuffling back down and sliding Edd's pants completely off. Edd shivered slightly in the cold air that suddenly hit his legs. Kevin saw that his legs were hairless as well and made a mental note to ask Edd if he shaved or not before he returned to Edd's bulge. Edd's underwear was wet from where Kevin had put his mouth as Kevin slid them off revealing Edd's own penis. It was smaller than Kevin's by a lot but it was around the average for guys their age, Kevin just got the royal genes.

Kevin saw that a trail of precum was trickling down the shaft of Edd's penis so he licked a trail up it causing a surprised and loud moan to come from Edd before Kevin swallowed the whole thing in one gulp. Edd's penis hit the back of Kevin's throat, but only just, he wasn't so big that Kevin would have trouble deepthroating him so Kevin was happy. He wanted to make Edd's first time the best as he possibly could make it and that involved deepthroating rather than just a normal blowjob.

Kevin's mouth was hot and wet and Edd felt an incredible pleasure suddenly well in his abdomen. Like that sinking feeling you got when your parents went over road bumps way too fast but better. Kevin began to bob his head up and down, sliding his tongue along the bottom of Edd's cock an flicking it through the groove on the underside of the head before going down again. Edd's cock hit the back of Kevin throat and a shuddering pleasure shot through him.

Edd had nothing to compare it too but he guessed that Kevin was rather good at what he was doing. Edd's breath constantly hitched and came out ragged and broken by glottal stops that happened with a sudden surge of pleasure. The rest of the time was spent making little moaning sounds as Kevin went down on him.

Kevin stopped suddenly. Grabbing the lube and smearing it on his fingers. "I'm going to put one finger inside of you, okay?"

Edd nodded nervously and watched as Kevin went down on him again. Kevin used the hand without the lube on it to move Edd's ass up a bit and give Kevin better access to his hole as he continued sucking Edd off and Edd continued his adorable moans that he tried to hide with all his might.

Kevin's finger circled around Edd's entrance, slicking up the muscles there and getting the area used to stimulation. Edd buckled slightly at first, giving Kevin's throat a hard time but he soon got used to the feeling and relaxed. Kevin probed at it with his fingers a bit, still not sliding the finger all the way in as he got Edd used to the feeling, and then he did. One finger slid in with ease and Edd gasped.

"How does it feel?" Kevin asked, not moving it anywhere as the Edd's muscles relaxed over Kevin's second knuckle.

Edd breathed out a shaky breath and said. "It feels weird but I'm alright."

Kevin was somehow satisfied with the way Edd's usual highbrow way of speaking deteriorated into lust filled dribble when he was turned on. "Okay" He said sliding the finger in slowly and wrapping his lips around Edd's shaft again.

He decided not to hit Edd's prostate yet because he knew Edd was going to cum soon so instead he slowed down with his blow job and focused more on thrusting in and out of Edd, slow at first and then building up speed as he got the smaller boy used to the feeling. When Edd was comfortable he added another finger, then another. And soon Edd was sporting the fast thrusting of three of Kevin's fingers. Kevin decided it was about time Edd had his first orgasm.

He began sucking down hard again, ministering the same blowjob technique he had before and allowing Edd's cock to slide all the way in before Kevin drew his head back. Simultaneously, Kevin redirected his aim toward Edd's stomach and found Edd's prostate as he began thrusting at it with three fingers. Two strokes was all it took before Edd gave a startled gasp and tried to warn, "Kevin" before he ejaculated into Kevin's mouth.

Edd spluttered and moaned multiple times, quick and short as each new sound came Edd tried to stop it. Edd had a lot of cum in him because the kid obviously hadn't been masturbating and it all came out, sliding down Kevin's throat as he kept Edd's cock all the way in his mouth. Kevin didn't stop fingering Edd as he rode out his orgasm.

Finally Edd's spasms stopped and he was a panting mess as Kevin swallowed every last drop and slid Edd's penis out of his mouth. He left his fingers inside Edd.

"K-kevin. That was incredible." Edd said and Kevin smiled feeling himself flood with masculine pride.

"That's not the end of it." Kevin said as he he began thrusting into Edd with his fingers again causing him to groan.

"R-right." Edd said between sharp breathes, "It's your turn now, right?"

Kevin smirked, "That it is."

Kevin thrust into Edd a couple more times, getting in as deep as he could with his fingers and stretching Edd further. Edd might have been nervous if his brain wasn't roaring with post-coital fuzz at that moment.

"Edd my dick is going to be a lot bigger then my fingers." Kevin said to Edd carefully. "But you'll be okay if we go slow."

Edd nodded as Kevin removed his fingers and grabbed the lube, slicking up his penis and re-applying some to Edd's entrance. "Okay, I'm going to put it in now, it's going to be uncomfortable at first, but you'll be okay."

Edd nodded. "Use your words." Kevin said, needing a clear confirmation from Edd.

"Yes." Edd said, so Kevin continued.

He lined the head of his penis up with Edd's entrance and took a breath in grabbing both of Edd's cheeks in his hands, and stretching them open further with his thumbs, he pushed slowly inside causing Edd to gasp.

"Are you okay?" He asked, stopping.

Edd nodded. "I-I'm okay."

Kevin nodded and kept pushing, further in. He stopped again when his head had breached the wall of muscle and asked again if Edd was okay. He kept doing that until he had pushed all the way inside and Edd had adjusted to the feeling of having Kevin's cock inside of him.

Edd was tight and hot and it felt good to fuck something again. It had been so long and it took a lot of willpower to not just fuck him there in reckless abandon. "I'm going to start moving now." Kevin said as he started sliding out slowly and applying more lube to his dick as it came out, he wanted to make sure it was a smooth and easy fuck.

Edd felt hot and very turned on as Kevin slid out of him and then back in slowly. He watched the expression on Kevin's face as he moved in and out, one eye closed from the pleasure and lips pursed before they'd open in a grunt. It made Edd feel even more lewd and dirty and Edd somehow liked it. It was a novel escape from the ideal student persona he usually wore and it felt dangerous and exciting and for once Edd felt like he was doing something for himself rather than someone else and he loved it.

"Faster." He suddenly said, needing the feeling to intensify. His brain was gone, washed of all it's common sense as all he wanted was to feel rebellious and dirty and desirable.

Kevin did as Edd had asked and began to push in faster, aiming his thrusts towards Edd's prostate again and causing ripples of pleasure to run through him as he brushed past it.

Kevin felt his own pleasure rising as his thrusts became faster and deeper, brushing past Edd's sweet spot every time and the moans that Edd made turned Kevin on even more. Suddenly he needed release, and he needed to dominate and he couldn't stop himself anymore. He leaned forward, holding Edd down with both of his hands on Edd's shoulders as he fucked Edd hard. moving in a fluid motion and pace while he still aimed at Edd's prostate.

Edd felt like he was on fire, the pleasure was so intense, it was incredible. Each time Kevin's thighs smacked against his ass, he thought they might meld together into one person. He began to love the feeling of penetration, the fullness and the heat. His breath hitched again and he couldn't stop the loud moans that came erupting out of his mouth.

Pressure built in Kevin's stomach, he could feel it rising, knew he was about to cum and he was powerless to stop the thrusting he was doing. He was glad he made sure Edd had came before because he had no mind for the other boys pleasure now, he craved release. He had become carnal and animalistic in his need, thrusting forward harder and deeper until finally he couldn't take it any longer.

"Gonna cum." he warned.

Edd was close to climax himself so he desperately raised a hand to his own cock and stroked it clumsily. As Kevin became harder and more fervent in his thrusts, more waves of pleasure ran over Edd until he was cumming over his own stomach.

Edd ended up cumming just before Kevin did which filled the boy with more masculine pride as he pulled Edd in toward him with his final thrusts, finally reaching climax as he came into the condom he was wearing and collapsed, boneless on top of Edd.

"Fuck, that was good." He breathed.

Edd said nothing, he was too busy panting in the aftermath of his first time, feeling incredible in the afterglow of sex. He could get used to this.

* * *

OKAY! Hope you enjoyed the first of many more (kinkier) lemons to come. Just a few things:  
-Unless you a french speaker wanting to polish up my lines, I don't want to hear anything about the french in this chapter. :P It's actually irrelevant to the story, just idle chat.  
-This chapter was 8000 words and 19 pages long! I hope you all love me you little bitches. :P  
-Keep sending me your theories on whats going on, I would love to read them.

Next time: Did Jim and Plank...hear?


	18. Chapter 18

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 18**

After the third thump, Jim knew he wasn't hearing things. Jim had originally been excited when he had found out that he and Edd would be in rooms right next to each other. He was positively giddy when Kevin came in and asked if he could use their shower as he was preparing for a date with Edd, he had a little fit of excitement about it actually. Of all places for Edd and Kevin to have their first date, it was Paris! That would be exciting for anyone. Jim had only wished Nat was there so that he could talk with him about it, Plank had been his usual self only contributing with some grunts, and Jim usually found that to be what he liked about Plank, he never really spoke unless he really had something to say but Jim was in the mood for some idle chat and pointless chatter. HAD been, actually.

_Thump!_

Groan.

Kevin and Edd were having sex! And Edd seemed to be the one most happy about it. Jim knew he had told Edd to speak up more but this was taking it too far. Jim felt a shiver (the bad kind) run down his spine as he was filled with the sudden desire to take a long, relaxing shower.

Plank cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably, unable to concentrate on the television show that was playing in the background.

"No, Plank." Jim said in despair, "I can't even pretend I can't hear it if you react to it."

Jim sighed and he caught a glimpse of Plank smirking, only a little bit, but it was there. One of those rare times Jim caught Plank with his guard down.

"What are you smirking at! This isn't funny! I'm having a midlife crisis here!" Jim protested cringing as he heard Edd moaning louder. _Jesus Edd, what is he doing to you to make you make that sound? _Jim thought and then regretted it. _Abort, bad thought, terrible thought. Oh god._

"I beg to differ." Plank said in his quiet, low voice, referencing what Jim had said about it not being funny (which it most certainly was not). "And you're too small to be having a midlife crisis. Maybe mid-growth-spurt-crisis. Nah, that wouldn't work either, you're not growing."

Jim looked at Plank with a mortified expression. It got worse when he saw the most uncharacteristic, wide smirk on Planks face that he had ever seen. It was wider than the freaking amazon! Jim was about ready to commit seppuku and honorably suicide his way out of in between two horrible situations he didn't want to be in.

"Someone is suddenly feeling talkative! I think I liked you better when you didn't say mean things about me! I'll have you know that my height is what many people like about me." Jim said in mock offense.

"Who?" Plank asked, his smirk still there, smug and horrible as he blinded Jim with his pearly whites. That was it, where was Jim's katana?

Jim turned his head away from Plank, refusing to look at him. Nobody insulted his height, well at least nobody that wanted to be spoken to. Jim was very sensitive about the subject, Edd had gotten their fathers height and near anorexic build, Jim on the other hand had gotten his father's build and his mother's height making him the smallest sixteen year old in existence. He didn't quite have a Napoleon complex, he was no Edward Elric, but he was rather touchy about it. He sometimes wished reality would bend to his every whim and he could think himself tall. But if reality would bend to his every whim, every corner of every street would be a candy store and they'd make jawbreakers the size of beach balls.

"I'll give you a hint," Planks voice cut through his reverie, still unusually playful as it brought Jim back to the subject at hand. "I do."

Jim turned back around to see Plank giving him a weak smile and he instantly felt all of the contempt wash out of him. The new face was far more fitting for Plank and Jim felt his heart melt. Plank was such a great guy, Jim liked him alot. He only wished he could know whether Jim liking him meant he liked him the way Edd liked Kevin or just as a friend. Jim had no idea, and as he stared into Planks eyes, for the first time in a long while, it left him confused. Then.

"Edd, my dick is going to be a lot bigger than fingers." Kevin's voice said through the wall.

_Too loud Kevin! Lower you voice when you're shagging my brother for christs sakes! _Jim's mind screamed. And it had totally ruined their moment too, if Jim had had any chance of figuring out his damn feelings, he had lost it. He heard Plank scoff.

"Well, at least I kept you distracted for a little while." He said, his voice returning to it's usual depth and Jim felt instantly more course! Plank had decided to tease him to keep him distracted the entire time, and it worked too.

Jim felt a sinking feeling in his chest. Plank really cared about him and he constantly showed Jim that through what he did, but Jim never did anything to make Plank happy, well not overtly like Plank did. What if Plank expected him to? What if Jim had been hurting Plank with his actions, even worse, what if Plank wanted repayment like Edd and Kevin were doing.

Jim turned to Plank suddenly, with a serious face. "Plank, I don't want us to be like that." He said and then he cast his gaze down and bit his lip before looking back up at Plank with a look that would've made him spit his tea if he had any, it was so cute. "At least not yet anyway."

Plank wasn't thinking straight and made a mistake in his urgency to answer. "I'll wait for you, it's okay."

He'd wait for him? That was making it sound like Jim had an obligation to have sex with Plank, which he did not. Plank would be just fine even if Jim never liked him in that way but Plank had slipped up and made it sound like he needed Jim to eventually have sex with him, and he couldn't take that back now.

Jim didn't miss a beat. "You'll wait for me?" He repeated. "Does that mean, you, you want to do that with me?"

Plank was in an ugly situation now. "Well, I do. I mean, I want to... But I'd never expect that from you. It's cool if we're just friends." Plank stopped and sighed, "This is why I never talk."

Plank realised what a pussy he was being. What was it Jonny would always say? "Man up." It was simple, but it made sense. I man wouldn't wuss out when it mattered. He had gotten so soft, he used to be so tough and strong, now all he was was a sack of muscles that didn't know how to use them. He frowned.

When he spoke, his voice almost had a growl to it. "Jim, I want to have sex with you." The atmosphere in the room after that would be similar to that of when a girl told her parents she was pregnant. He narrowed his brows further. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be a prick and expect anything from you. If you don't like guys, or you just don't want to, for whatever reason, I'm cool with that. I want to protect you, Jim. I want to always be here for you, and I want to do that regardless of whether we are fucking or not." He paused and then added. "Because that's what a man would do."

By now it was a inside joke that only Plank would understand. Jonny wouldn't remember now, but his father was constantly going on about what a man did and what a man should do. It was ridiculous, even to Plank who was an army brat and adhered to all that masculine crap.

Jim blinked at Plank. Had he really just said that. It was so out of place, even more so than Planks chiding that Jim almost wanted to laugh. For the first time, Jim realised that Planks personality extended beyond being quiet. Jim smiled, at himself and at Plank, it was so stupid, and the situation was even more hilarious with Edd and Kevin fucking next door. It wasn't even creepy anymore, the occasional bump or moan made Jim want to laugh even more. It was so awkward it was hilarious. He couldn't hold it in, he laughed and Plank gave him an incredulous.

"Who knew." He managed to say between giggles, "That when you finally decided to open up to me, you'd say that."

Plank could appreciate the humor. He knew what he had become, and he realised that that was some of his old self shining through, in fact a lot of his old self was coming out lately. He didn't know whether it was a good thing or not. As long as he could make Jim laugh like that though, and to hear it and to see him smile, he was okay. It made up for all the bad in his life, all the negative thoughts and the pressure, when he was with Jim in hi perpetually happy state, it was hard to feel that. He could hardly remember it. And Jim had quickly become like a drug that Plank needed everyday. He couldn't tell Jim that though, he had said enough as it was and he'd hate to ruin whatever it was they had managed between each other. So he just smiled.

Jim shook his head and pulled Plank into a hug, just managing to ignore the "Gonna cum" that he heard Kevin all but shout as he felt Plank's warmth against his own. Plank's hands snaked around Jim and plopped him onto his lap, like had become the usual whenever the two cuddled. Jim thought about Planks response, he really was a great guy, even if he had no idea how to show it. He was either a hard callous wall that probably scared half of the people he walked past to death or a stuttering goofball that had no idea what to do with himself. That's what Jim liked him.

"You know, you aren't such a badass." Jim said.

"Who said I was a badass?"

"Oh come on. I've seen the way you look at the other freshmen, you like scaring them don't you?"

"Maybe a little."

"Does scaring them make you a man?" Jim asked with a mischievous grin on his face.

Plank sighed a small laugh and Jim continued. "Does hugging me now, make you a man too?"

"Shut up, Jim." Plank said in slight irritation.

"Oh, keeping your woman in line." Jim said in a mocking tone. "Next you're going to give me the pimp hand, you really know how to be a man!"

Plank growled and tackled Jim before tickling him ferociously. Jim started giggling and screaming "N-no, Haha. Plank stop it!"

"No way! This is totally what a man would do!."

That time it was Edd and Kevin who were disturbed by Jim's cackling as they cuddled together.

"What do you s'pose is going on next door?" Kevin asked.

"I am unsure, Kevin. But they are being rather loud."

* * *

Okay so this was originally going to be part of chapter 17 but seeing as that chapter was really long as it was I decided to give it a chapter of it's own which is why it's so short, but don't worry I have another chapter uploaded already so go check that out. Also, Seppuku, for anyone who doesn't know also known as "Honorable Suicide" which it was obviously referenced as as well ("but it literally translates to stomach cutting", was what some samurai did before war so that they could die at their own hands and "honorably" instead of the enemy which would be dishonorable. To make sure the samurai were not killing themselves out of fear (I have no idea why someone would kill themselves for fear of going and dying but whatever XD) they had to make sure the death was painful (this is where the stomach cutting bit comes in) basically the samurai was disemboweled, usually by their own hand. Also, even though Jim says wanted to "grab his katana" Seppuku in a traditional sense is usally done with a tanto, which is a much shorter blade. *The more you know*

No chapter preview this week, just go read it and you'll know what happens XD


	19. Chapter 19

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 19**

"It's auditions today, right?" Nat asked as he watched Rave apply some eyeliner in the mirror.

Rave didn't know if he wanted Nat around or not. He'd get the part he wanted to, it was obvious that out of everyone at Alter Waters he was the best at not only singing but acting as well. He could hit all the notes easy. That wasn't the problem.

He didn't want Nat to get shitty, and he knew that the idiot would complain if Rave did't let him watch, but at the same time he didn't want to mess up his lines like Nat had made him last time. If Nat decided to pull some fatuous stunt and make Rave make a fool of himself. He was better than everyone else that would be there and he wouldn't allow anything take that away from him. Nat could be what was standing between him and stardom. But... he really liked having sex with Nat. Of course he could always find other people to have sex with, other less stupid people, but that would be an inconvenience wouldn't it. And he'd hate to lose to Nat. He wouldn't want to give in just because Nat might distract him.

Rave shook his head. Nat shouldn't be able to distract him. Rave had been working under the assumption that Nat could, but if Rave was able to completely ignore him and ace his audition regardless of whether Nat wanted to mess with him or not. And he could. Just because Nat had managed to stuff him up once didn't mean he'd do it again. Rave would come out absolutely victorious. This game they were playing, he'd win it. (However you did win a game of power.)

"Yes, auditions are today." Rave said finally. He had forgotten to answer in all of his thoughts.

Nat smiled and Rave saw it through the mirror. "I'll be watching in the audience."

"Yay." Rave groaned sarcastically, waving his arms in small circles as he mocked being excited.

The look on Nat's face then was hard to explain. Rave would call it pity but Nat had no reason to pity him so he didn't know what it was.

"You know, you don't have to be so uptight all the time. There's this thing called relaxing and this other thing called being nice. You can actually do both of those things if you try."

Rave spun around and seethed at Nat. "I know what I can do, you dolt. I choose not to with you, because you're, well a dolt."

Nat looked unimpressed and Rave felt worried. But...why? Why should he care about fucking Nat Goldberg, the rich kid and all of his problems. He probably didn't even know what loss felt like, he was ignorant to any kind of real pain so he deserved what he felt. At least, that's what his brain told him, Rave's heart on the other hand was having palpitations at the hurt expression on Nat's face.

Rave wanted to slap himself. He couldn't care, he hated arrogant rich people like Nat who took life for granted, he hated them with an intense passion, so why did he care now? Why had he been sleeping with Nat for so long, what drew him to the other boy, kept him from continuing the harsh treatment until Nat left like he had done in the past. What made his heart beat faster when he was with him, made kissing him and fucking him so much more enjoyable than everyone else. What was it with Nat that made the tiniest bit of Rave's fragile broken and incredibly cynical heart, actually feel again?

He had thought it was the power game, Rave had convinced himself that he found it fun to continuously prove to Nat that he had power over the other boy. He had told himself that Nat's persistence regardless of that fact amused him and that Nat was simply something he used to keep his mind off of things and as soon as Nat realised he wasn't wanted and left, Rave would be content to end it there.

But Nat was leaving, Rave could see it in the way Nat held his body. He was about to turn around and leave, his face was stiff with annoyance and hurt. Rave should let him go, should let him walk out of that door and be glad that he was rid of the boy but every fibre of Rave's being was urging him to reach out and pull Nat back. He didn't want the game to stop, he didn't want Nat to leave and he had no idea what he hated more, the fact that it was true or that he was just now realising it.

"How long has it been?" Nat's voice was icy as it pierced Rave's ears. "Two months now, right?"

Rave said nothing, all he could do was stare, lest his mouth betray him and he said something stupid.

"Two months is long enough to make something official. Two months is the time when normal couples would start thinking about sex, two months would be when a girl got giddy over being able to call her guy her "boyfriend." Two months would be when I would feel giddy over calling you my boyfriend."

As Rave listened, bile rose in his throat and he wanted nothing more then to leave the room right then and there and not have to listen to Nat suddenly being emotional. Rave didn't think he could handle Nat actually acting like a human being for once. The hurt in his voice resonated so violently that Rave could feel it himself. He noted idly that if Nat could do the same on stage, he'd make a fantastic actor.

"But we aren't most couple's, are we?" Nat laughed despite himself. Or maybe it was at himself. "Fuck, you probably don't even think we're a couple because two months for us isn't enough to get you to admit you fucking like me."

Rave was about to say something along the lines of "Don't be an idiot, Goldberg, of course I like you." But his words caught in his throat. He was scared of one of two things happening. One, he wouldn't be able to speak without it flowing out as mushy emotional garbage. Or, two he'd be able to say it, but it'd only make things worse between the two of them. So he just sat there, looking at Nat, unable to fix the hurt that he caused and began to hate himself for. He felt like the biggest asshole on the face of the earth.

"Did you still not like me when I was sucking your dick?" Nat asked and the hurt in his tone was now bumped up with a heavy dose of contempt. Rave stiffened in his chair, clenching his fists together.

"How 'bout the other way around, do you usually suck off guys you hate?" Nat scoffed, "Maybe you're just a slut?"

Rave stood up "Hey fuck you Goldberg!"

Nat ignored him. "Did you not like me with my dick up your ass? Was I a dolt when I had you begging for more as I fucked you into the nightstand?"

"Nat, shut the fuck up." Rave's voice was filled with a warning that Nat could care less about.

"Was I an idiot for thinking you liked me when you woke me up in the middle of the night by kissing me and hoping I wouldn't wake up? Was I mistaken for thinking we were anything more than friends when we started hanging out a lot?"

"Nat if you don't shut the fuck up, I will shut you the fuck up!" Rave snarled, his voice rising far above Nat's.

"No you sit down and fucking listen!" Nat's voice had suddenly become so powerful, Rave almost shook in fear of it's pure commanding quality. It was well, incredible, but Rave could secretly admire it later when he didn't have an extremely pissed off and upset Goldberg on his hands.

"I'm tired of being used!" He said suddenly and Rave frowned. "I don't want to be your fuck buddy Rave, you piece of shit I want to be your boyfriend."

Rave blinked. Why would anyone want to be his boyfriend?

"First Kevin, and now you." Nat voice shook with rage. "At least you didn't fuck me in a room full of people!"

Silence.

Nat looked horrified, shocked himself at what he had just accidentally let slip. Rave looked equally as horrified but for different reasons. He had no idea that the prince had done that to Nat. He suddenly felt bad, but only a little for thinking Nat didn't know real pain. It was a different kind of pain to know than what Rave had been through, but he was sure, whatever other details accompanied Nat's experience would be traumatic enough. Depending on whether it was a classroom or not, Rave might of changed schools because of something like that.

Nat had said too much, he quickly withdrew himself. "Fuck." He said. "Look, go to your bloody audition. I'll still be in the audience." And with that he turned around and left, leaving Rave to feel very confused.

He watched the doorway where Nat had previously stood, a chorus of "what the fuck just happened?" resounding throughout his brain. Nat had just, well Nat had. What had Nat just done? Rave was gobsmacked, what possessed the boy to suddenly, unleash all of that on him.

He stood up on wobbly knees and made his way out of his room. He had to go to his audition regardless of what had just happened between them. Nat could wait until after his future acting career was ensured.

When he got out of the door, shutting it behind him and locking it he heard a girls voice call "Have you heard the news about Prince Kevin?"

When Rave spun around he saw it was a girl in the grade lower than him yelling at her friend who happened to be at the opposite end of the hallway. On another day, when the princes name wouldn't intrigue him, he would have been annoyed at her obvious lack of patiences, yelling at somebody so far away was more than irritating. But if there was news about Kevin, Rave was almost certain Nat's little outburst had something to do with it.

When she got close to him he grabbed her arm, stopping her dead in her tracks as she gave Rave the look you might a pedophile that had just flashed his disgusting fifty year old dick at you. Rave sighed, "I'm gay, I'm not about to molest you, so calm down."

She didn't seem to be calming down. "Look, I want to hear this news about Kevin too and I didn't know how else to get your attention." He let go of her hand. "Tell your friend to come over here and you can tell the both of us."

She looked nervously between Rave and her friend and he rolled his eyes. Finally she beckoned her friend over who seemed far less nervous and skipped over happily before stopping right next to her friend. Her pigtails were obviously a health hazard and Rave wanted to cut them off, you could poke someone's eye out with them.

The first girl looked at Rave again and he had to say "Pretend I'm not here." Before she finally spoke.

"A-anyway. The news is Kevin and that Double d guy are dating now." _Their reputations suit each other perfectly. _Rave thought sarcastically to himself.

"Really?!" Her friend seemed overly dramatic about how surprised she was but it seemed to egg the first girl on.

"Yeah and apparently they had a fight recently."

"Really?!"

Rave didn't think it was possible for people to be so stupid, they had to be joshing him or something. It was becoming painful to watch, like some really badly written fanfic.

"Yeah, afterwards Kevin paid for Double d to go with him to Paris. Suzie bet Anne a thousand that something like what happened with Nathan Goldberg would happen again, he and Kevin had a fight before that incident, so it only makes sense."

"A thousand? I'm in on that, there is definitely gonna be another standard."

They bet with thousands of dollars. Rave wanted to puke, did they know anything about conserving money? One thousand dollars was a lot. In any case he had gotten enough information to deduce what was going on with Nat. Beside that he had to get to his audition otherwise he'd miss it.

"Thanks." He said as he moved swiftly off, leaving the two stupid girls to stare at him in bewilderment as if it were the first time in their life that someone had ever willingly walked away from them.

He moved down the halls quickly and made his way to the stage area where the auditions where being held. He walked past the main entrance and walked into the door that lead to the changing rooms where he found a bunch of people getting ready in the the rows of mirrors and seats that existed inside. He had chosen to get ready in his own room to avoid having to talk to people who might want to sit next to him. He knew how chatty these empty headed assholes got, especially the ones that couldn't act.

As he walked through the doorway a tall and tanned brushed past him saying "Sorry, Mate. Was just leavin'."

He wasn't able to take his costume with him to his room so he had to change into it in the changerooms. That was the one thing he couldn't avoid, he just hoped nobody stupid tried to talk to him.

Rave got changed and came out in his costume and he was ready. He would have spent the rest of the time preparing but Nazz caught sight of him and came over to say hello. Surprisingly, he didn't mind too much. Nazz was by far one of his favorite in his acting class, he wouldn't start buying beers with her on the weekend and sing drunken karaoke but she was at least decent, and great fun to talk to. She had a good head on her shoulders and was able to breeze through life without taking things too seriously. Not the annoying kind of noncommittal attitude though. She also had a good sense of humor and was always able to make Rave snort about something or other.

"Someone's looking as pretty as a prostitute."

"I am a prostitute." Rabe said matter-of-factly, his acting talent being his advantage.

"Pays better than this dump." She commented.

Rave smiled. "Tough break huh?"

"You know it. All these big businesses want these days is money. They don't appreciate quality, they don't appreciate art."

Rave scoffed. "Isn't that just what people who can't act say?"

"Precisely why I'm saying it, dear."

Rave laughed out loud.

She smiled, "Good luck."

"Won't need it." Rave replied smugly.

"I will." Nazz groaned.

"I wouldn't worry, everybody else sucks so bad even you can get any part you want."

Nazz gave him an incredulous look then rolled her eyes with a smile. "Gee thanks." She said sarcastically.

"My pleasure."

Rave aced his audition, like he knew he would, hitting all the notes and wowing not only the judges but the audience with his acting. He had a standing ovation by the end of it. Rave had deliberately avoided looking at the crowd though, he knew he would stuff up if he saw Nat's face.

Afterwards though, and ironically, he couldn't find it anywhere. Half of him hoped that Nat hadn't run off and the other half hoped that he moved to Saudi Arabia but he still searched, wading through the crowds until he finally found him.

He was sitting in the back, by himself, looking positively miserable as he stared into his hands. Rave sat down next to him, not really knowing what to say.

"You were great." Nat said and Rave didn't even think before his natural response "I know." Flew out of his mouth. He felt like the words might have burnt his tongue and lips on the way out.

Nat scoffed and continued staring at the ground until Rave corrected himself. "Thanks, Nat."

Nat looked up for a moment, but not for long. "You called me Nat." He commented idly.

Rave couldn't handle tiptoeing around the issue anymore and ignored Nat's last comment as he said. "Are you upset that Kevin is dating Double d now?"

"Nah." Nat said softly. "I already knew that, before everyone else did. Jim keeps talking about it."

Rave remembered Nat mentioning that Jim was his roommate and that he was Double d's brother.

"Then are you worried that Kevin is going to, um, repeat his actions with him. Are you worried about Jim's brother getting hurt?"

Nat laughed bitterly. "I wished my motives were that. Nah, I'm worried about Kevin fucking up again, but I'm not worried about Edd. I'm worried about him."

Rave narrowed his eyes. "Go on." He said.

Nat finally looked at Rave and Rave felt like a massive boulder had been taken off of his shoulders and he was suddenly as light as a helium balloon and might drift up and hit the roof.

"Last time, after Kevin did what he did to me. His dad, the king, he beat him up real bad. Kevin came to school with a cast on. His own father broke his fucking arm, can you believe?"

Rave's father certainly hadn't broken his arm.

"I don't want that to happen again. But that's stupid right? It's his own fault if he fucks up again, and I should be worried about my friend brother. No, my friend. Edd's my friend too, I should be worried about what Kevin might do to him."

Rave sighed. "You still like Kevin, don't you?"

Nat laughed bitterly again. "A little bit." He suddenly sat up and looked up at Rave. "I like you a lot too. No, I like you way more. I mean you were never my replacement for him or anything, I genuinely like you."

Rave somehow felt warm inside, hearing that. Warm? Pft.

"But I still like Kevin. I spent two years of my life with him, it's hard to throw that away."

"I don't know, I've never been with anybody that long. Lover or otherwise."

Nat looked shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah." Rave said bitterly as well. It seemed like they were having a sharing session. "I used to really love people when I was little. I had best friends and stuff like that. Then after my tenth birthday everybody started leaving. Since then I've not been able to have any kind of long lasting relationship with someone."

"Wow, Rave that's-"

"Spare me your pity, Nat. Besides, this is one of the few times I'll ever ask you to talk about yourself so go ahead and finish explaining."

Nat nodded. "I thought, that if I spent all of my time working on us, I'd be able to forget about him. And when I found out about Kevedd, I thought I had."

"Kevedd?" Rave inquired.

"Kevin and Edd."

Rave groaned, "I'm not gonna ask."

"Anyway, when I found out about the two of them, I was genuinely happy you know. Kev was moving on, and I wanted them both to be happy. But it seems I haven't changed at all." He looked up at Rave. "I said some pretty shit things to you, didn't I?"

""Shit things" yes." Rave mused.

"I'm sorry. I mean, I still think you did some shit things as well, but I shouldn't have said shit things just because you did shit things."

"My head hurts." Rave said. "What was that in English?"

Nat laughed, punching Rave's arm playfully. "You know what I mean."

Rave sighed, "Nat." Nat looked at him. "I might not have ever really spent a lot of time with anyone, and you might possibly be the biggest most stupid, horrible git on the planet." Rave smiled, "I know this is cliche and I'll probably hate myself later for saying this but, you're my idiot. and when I'm honest spending time with you is really fun and when you were upset before it kind of made me feel like shit." He paused. "Maybe, just maybe, I'm willing to try dating you. No, no let's not call it dating, let's call it being mutually exclusive. I'm willing to give you a smidgen more intimacy, starting with me actually admitting that I like you, especially when we kiss, or suck each other off or when you fuck me into the bed or when, in the future I will fuck you into the bed."

There was a pause as they looked at each other. "So let's make out."

It didn't take long before Nat adhered to Rave's request as he leaned forward and kissed Rave on the mouth.

"Oh, one last thing, my names not really Rave. I kinda lied. It's James."

Nat didn't seem to care that Rave had lied to him as he smiled, "James." He repeated as he pulled his new "mutually exclusive" into another kiss.

"Mind if we have sex here?" Rave asked. "I'll show you that it's fun to have sex in public places."

Nat giggled. "Sure. I want to cum on the seats and leave it there. James."

"I still want you to call me Rave you fucking barbarian."

Nat laughed as he leaned into yet another kiss before he felt Rave's hand slide down his pants.

* * *

That's right bitches, I withheld a sex scene! XD It's got everything to do with pacing and nothing to do with me wanting to torture you guys. Nat and Rave have a lot of sex, they are the couple in this story that have sex most frequently and I didn't want this story to be one of those one's that is just sex scene after sex scene so I am picking and choosing which ones to write in full and which ones to simply mention. HOWEVER something to look forward to after AW completion is the AW Megamix.

So I plan to recollct all the sex scenes I have written once the story is finished, polish them up, make them longer and more detailed as well as writing skipped sex scenes (like this one) in full. I will be posting it all as a separate story, each chapter will be dedicated to a sex scene, and they will be posted in chronological order. It will be for those reading my story for teh porn not teh plot. XD

Also, did anyone catch Boomer? He's unfortunately only going to be making a cameo appearance in Alter Waters (because by the time he was created all the roles in AW had been filled out, otherwise Ethan's role, would totally have been his.)

Next Chapter: Edd and Kevin get back from Paris and here about the new gossip that has spread like wildfire.


	20. Chapter 20

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 20**

The plane ride back to Alter Waters was pleasant. Edd rested his head on Kevin's shoulder as it flew in the sky and he ended up falling asleep with his boyfriend's arm around him. Kevin texted Nazz about how awesome things were with Edd and she wasn't even bothered when he went into explicit details, which was why he liked her.

_Edd's really loud._

_Loud? Really? I wouldn't expect that from someone like him. I thought he'd be one of those guys that just kind of breathes creepily._

_I think I was louder than him though._

_Well we all know you're loud, Kevin. I've stayed over your house enough times to know that. That's why I stopped coming._

_Sorry about that, lol. :P_

_Apologies accepted, just don't expect me to sleep anywhere near you unless I know for sure there's nothing around that you want to have sex with._

Kevin smiled t the screen. Sometimes he forgot just how long he had actually known Nazz for. She was his oldest friend, she knew all of his secrets and that was great. He needed someone like that some of the time and he had completely forgotten it. He was about to text her back telling her that he appreciated her because he thought she needed to hear it at least once when another text came through.

_Kev, can you promise me something?_

_Sure. What's up?_

_When you get here, try not to blow a fuse. It won't be good if you make a scene._

Okay, now Kevin was worried.

_What's going on?_

_You'll find out when you get here._

Kevin frowned but decided he'd leave it to find out when he got back. If Nazz was telling him not to freak out it must be something pretty big, but he couldn't guess anything off the top of his head so it would just have to be a surprise. Kevin just loved surprises.

Jim and Plank seemed to be having a conversation in the seats behind them. Kevin noted to himself that since Jim and Plank had gotten close Plank was talking a lot more.

"You were totally scared at the top of the Eiffel tower."

Plank stared at him but said nothing.

"Plank you can't be scared of heights, you're meant to be the tough one."

Plank growled. "I am not scared of heights. I was just... feeling sick that day."

Jim giggled. "I'm sure, Plank. You keep telling yourself that."

Edd woke up just before the plane began to land and Kevin explained what was going on to him in his groggy state. The landing was smooth and Kevin was glad because he didn't want to vomit before he heard whatever bad news was awaiting him.

Edd stretched and yawned when he got out, happy that he was finally back in familiar territory. Edd split from Kevin and clambered into his separate limo with Jim as it took them the rest of the way to Alter waters.

"You're going to be jet lagged Edd." Jim said with a small smile halfway through their car ride.

"I know, Jim. I didn't try to fall asleep, I should have thought to tell Kevin to wake me if I did."

"Oh well, nothing we can do now."

It was when the school gates were in sight that Edd received a text from Kevin.

_The paps are crazy out here. It's like we're Alter's newest fucking tourist attraction. Just glad they're not real paps, but still be careful not to get trampled or questioned into an unwitting surrender._

Kevin's text was only cryptic until Edd saw them. As the metal gates swung open with a metallic squeak, Edd was overwhelmed with the amount of people he saw. A sea of heads, and school uniforms, at least half the school was out the front, clawing their way to try and reach Kevin as he made his way into school. Kevin looked like he was having a hard time getting through them all as they grabbed and pulled at his clothing, hindering his movement.

Edd gasped, "What is this?"

Jim looked out the window and gasped himself. "Wow, that's a lot of people. Did Kevin win the lottery or something?"

Edd swallowed. "I have no idea, I hope he hasn't done anything worth some unwanted attention."

The limo pulled up, causing a part in the sea of students as it slowed to a halt. Edd was frightened to the point where he didn't want to get out of the car. But Jim's body pressing against him tentatively as he urged Edd forward forced him to reach a shaky hand out and disengage the lock as the door swung open.

When Edd stepped out of the car, he might as well have been a piece of meat. The student's eyes practically bulged out of their heads as they ran forward with the same grubby fingers and quickly surrounded Edd making an awful racket. He had to buffet the many unwanted hands as they tried to gain his attention. He didn't want to be touched and he had no idea why the seemed to be treating him like he was miss universe but he didn't want to stay around to find out.

Through the yelling Edd could make out some sentences as he was bombarded with what he realised were questions.

"Is it true that you and Kevin are dating?"

"Did he do anything to you in Paris?"

"Marie says this might be a repeat of the famous Nathan Goldberg incident, would you say Kevin was keen on - in public places?" Edd didn't manage to hear the middle of that particular question.

They had all somehow discovered that he and Kevin were dating and now it seemed to be the knew scoop. Edd was amazed, all these people actually cared this much. Edd was afraid of backlash he never considered that people might actually be excited about it. Regardless, Edd had to get inside and find some way of losing all these curious teens so he could think about his newfound social status some other time.

Edd looked around for some way out and saw Jim seemingly floating above the crowd, then he spotted Plank's head as Jim clutched to it and his broad shoulders as he waded through the crowd.

Jim caught Edd's gaze and Edd sent an SOS signal in blink-morse-code. Jim just gave him a pitying look. "Sorry Edd." He yelled over the ruckus and Edd was only able to understand him from reading his lips. "Every man for himself now."

Edd cursed. Damn Jim, why couldn't he share Plank with everyone else. Or Kevin. Why was Kevin not here to carry Edd out on his shoulders like Plank did. Edd had a vivid image of Kevin saying exactly the same as Jim had, "Every man for himself, Edd." Play through his mind and he grumbled to himself before rolling up his sleeves.

Edd was almost certain that he would be battered and bruised the next day as he sustained a significant amount of elbows to the ribs and stomach as he waded his way through the crazed people that blocked his entry back into school. He was, however finally able to get in and as soon as he did, he ran.

Edd knew he couldn't head to his room straight away because he didn't want all of the "pap" students to discover his living quarters and there were already some hot on his trail. It seemed they were persistent as all hell and Edd felt the irony of the situation take hold of him as he rounded corners and ran up corridors in his attempts to loose his new following.

Edd was now very appreciative of his P.E class. He had neglected to think of such situation when he equated running laps to being pointless. On the contrary, all of the coaches arbitrary physical conditioning had turned out to be of great use to Edd now. He was able to sprint faster than any of his followers and climbed the stairs leading to the second floor in record time. Before Edd knew it he was alone with his thoughts again, but he still made his way to his room in a round about way, not slowing down until he finally reached the door.

He would get Jim and Kevin back for it later, they could not abandon him in a situation like that and not expect some kind of repercussion. Edd could hold out on sex from Kevin and make Jim sit alone during lunchtime. He was not to be made a mockery of and not to be left alone with people who were more interested in the prince's love life than their own.

Edd breathed a sigh as he reached a hand forward to open his door, then he heard a cool voice behind him. "Hello Double d, or should I call you Edd?"

Edd spun around and was horrified to see Ethan leaning against the wall behind him with a smug look on his face. "Remember me?" He continued.

Bile rose in Edd's throat. "What do you want." His words were dripping with venom that he was about ready to inject directly into Ethan if he did not leave Edd alone.

"Temper, temper Edd. I just want to talk." He said taking a step forward.

Edd growled. "Then speak."

Ethan smiled. "I just thought the person responsible for all the fiasco you've just had to go through should come and confess."

Edd narrowed his eyes. "It was you. Why would you tell all these people of Kevin and I's relationship?"

Ethan shrugged. "It was all part of business. Every so often the Thames family likes to reveal some juicy nugget of information to keep the students abuzz."

Edd removed his hand from the handle of his door and turned to regard Ethan properly. "The Thames family?"

"Yes, my family owns most of the newspaper companies around these parts. Information and stories are the air we breath, yours was too good to pass up."

Edd frowned, "If all you came here to do was gloat at your own handywork, you may leave now. I am going to go inside."

Ethan nodded, "Sure, but I want you to know something first."

Edd didn't respond, Ethan continued. "I told everyone, not a single person in Alter waters wa sleft uninformed."

"And?"

"And that includes your short friend in there."

Edd's pupils dilated. Eddy? Of course, if the whole school knew Eddy was bound to have found out, but how had he reacted? Judging by the hideous smirk that Ethan was wearing like next week's fashion trend, it wasn't good. Edd didn't say another word to Ethan as he opened the door and pulled himself inside, shutting and locking it behind him.

His eyes darted around the room, on an immediate hunt for Eddy, but the boy was nowhere to be found. Ed was sitting on his bed, looking as peaceful as ever, but Eddy was nowhere. Edd frowned.

"Ed, where is Eddy?" He inquired, giving the larger boy a serious look.

Ed looked sad and it worried Edd. He was usually a very happy boy, ignorance is bliss, as they say. It was very rare to see that kind of expression on Ed's face, very rare indeed.

"Eddy is gone, Double dee." He said sadly, and the tone cut Edd's chest open, ripped out his heart and stomped on it. Who knew the effects a change in tone would have if the emotion wasn't normal for the person at hand. Had something bad happened to Eddy? Was it Ethan, did he do something? No, Ethan wanted to gloat about telling Eddy, he wouldn't be responsible for his disappearance.

"Where did he go Ed? Do you know?" Ed bit his lip as if he knew but didn't want to tell him. Edd walked up swiftly and placed to hands on his shoulders. "I need you to tell me where he is Ed. I am worried."

Ed nodded nervously. "Eddy left. He said, "When I gave him the nickname Double dee, I didn't expect him to take it literally.""

Edd felt like he might be being strangled. The new thought that something bad might have happened had somehow lowered Edd's resistance to his original conclusion which was that Eddy would have a homophobic response. He knew that Eddy would, that was why he was keeping himself secret from the boy and he also knew it was only a matter of time before Eddy found out, but it stung. Eddy had accepted him without regard for something others around him might consider socially degrading only to reject him for another. Edd supposed that was only his luck, he had begun to really like Eddy and being a part of his merry band of Ed's.

"Why is Eddy upset, Double dee?" Ed asked and Edd didn't think there could be a question he wanted to answer less. He had no idea how to explain it to Ed, it would be like trying to explain the death of a pet or something to a child. How could Edd explain that Eddy was angry with him because he was gay.

"Ed." Edd began, "Have you heard the news?"

"About you and Kevin, Double dee?" Ed asked and he smiled goofily and laughed before saying. "Yeah. You guys are like baby kittens cuddling. You will make good sword fights."

Edd didn't want to think about what Ed was implying with his "sword fights" comment or explain to him that kittens, by definition, were babies but other than that, his response was rather heartwarming. It was about a complex a response as a colouring in book but it showed that Ed cared and supported his relationship with Kevin.

"Well Ed." He continued, "I think Eddy might not like the news. That is why he is upset."

"Eddy does not like the news." Ed repeated shaking his head. "Eddy doesn't know to be Eddy when Double dee is with Kevin."

Edd frowned, "What do you mean, Ed?"

Ed looked at Edd with big eyes. "Eddy doesn't like Kevin, Double dee."

Edd nodded. That was true, Eddy had never liked Kevin and he suppose that the news might come as a bit of a shock, but that was no excuse for Eddy to be homophobic. It was not Edd's choice, who he had feelings for or not and Eddy should not judge him for it. Good friend would never do something like that and Ed was proof of it. But Edd hated to think that he was the cause of it. He didn't want Ed to miss Eddy or for Eddy to feel like he had to avoid Edd just because of who he was dating. He felt a little guilty.

"Try not to worry, Ed. I'm sure Eddy will come back soon enough."

* * *

Jim giggled as Plank threw him onto his bed from his shoulders. His hair was dishevelled from where Jim had been holding onto it and it hung in Plank's eyes in a matted mess. He blew it to try and get it out of the way but it was too heavy and didn't budge so he moved it with his hand.

"Sorry Plank." Jim said. "I had to hold on for dear life more than once there."

Plank cracked his back as he rolled his shoulders around. "They were a bit excessive. Wonder why everyone cares so much about Kevin and Edd."

Jim sighed, "I dunno. I get me being excited, but the whole school is a little crazy." He rolled over. "I hope Edd's okay, I feel kinda bad for leaving him there."

Plank didn't reply as he loosened his tie and flopped onto his own bed, exhausted and jet-lagged.

"Remember we can't sleep until later."

Plank slapped himself in the face with two hands, slowly dragging them down as he groaned. "I want to sleep." He said.

Just then the door burst open and there was Nat, Rave standing next to him with an annoyed expression on his face as Nat screamed maniacally. "Guys you're back!"

He ran forward and scooped Jim into a hug, crushing him tight to his chesst. "Good to see you too, Nat." He breathed,

Nat turned his attention to Plank and his heart dropped. "Don't hug me." Plank said but it was too late, Nat was already tackling him to the ground.

Rave rolled his eyes "Do you mind not acting like a wanker for one second?" But Nat didn't hear him as he and Plank had now began to roll around on the floor in an awkward brawl.

Jim laughed, "At least that will wake Plank up."

Rave turned to face him. "How was Paris?"

Jim smiled. "It was great. You should have come, we went to the Eiffel tower!"

Rave rolled his eyes at how Jim had suddenly become. "It's not that easy for me, I can't just come."

Jim nodded. "Yeah, not everyone has a brother who's dating the prince." Jim grinned "But I guess that's just one of his perks. Maybe you should date someone richer than Nat. Well Nat is kinda rich, but he spends his money on the strangest things." Jim suddenly turned to give Rave an incredulous look, ignoring the brawling that was still ongoing beside him. "He showed me a 24 karat gold vibrator the other week. I tried to act as excited as he was but how do you react to that? Apparently his mum helped him pick it out! Rave what have you gotten yourself into?"

Rave chuckled a bit as he held a hand to his mouth. "I've been asking myself the same question for a long time." He shook his head. "A gold vibrator, Jesus." Rave turned to Nat and called. "What's this gold vibrator about? Why haven't I seen it yet, I deserve the royal treatment much more than you do."

"I can't talk about vibrators now Rave! I'm tryna - Hey! You can't hit me while I'm talking with my boy- mutually exclusive."

Plank smirked, pushing Nat up slightly as he leaned forward to grab at his sides and try to throw him off. "What's a mutually exclusive?"

"I don't fucking know. Damn it! Fuck you Plank!"

"I want that gold vibrator." Rave commented under his breath.

Jim smiled. "Well at least somebody wants to use it. It's made of gold but I don't think you'd want to put it in a glass case and show it to people during house tours."

Rave snorted. "That's exactly what Nat wants it for. I'm going to force him to use it so he can't."

Jim was happy. Everything was right in the world. He loved his friends, they were always such fun to be around and now Nat had even brought Rave around to their room. He must be feeling more comfortable with the situation, Jim had thought. Now, just as long as Edd and Kevin made it through the new obsession with their relationship, there'd be not a care in the world between all of the people Jim held closest. He hoped that that would soon be the case.

* * *

A bit of a shorter chapter today guise, a bit of drama and a bit of friendshipy stuff. It's kind of like a bridging chapter. It exists to set up the new story arks that have begun. Much longer chapter next time, promise.

Next time: Kevin see's his psychiatrist again. Edd finds more out about Ethan Thames.


	21. Chapter 21

Warning! There is a sex scene in this chapter (I didn't want to spoil it but I had to) which contains cum play. It is not that bad but it might be a little gross to some of you, just so you know XD

* * *

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 21**

It was Friday, two days after Kevin had returned from Paris, that he went to see Pantene again. His driver, who he had managed to convince to drive him there whenever he had to go, was waiting for him in the courtyard as he sneaked out, hoping none of the students more interested in his personal life saw and started speculating about him having a mistress or something. The drive was fast and smooth and before Kevin knew it he was standing in the reception area again, the place smelling and looking far too clean, as if it were kept by anal-retentive maids. AS far as Kevin knew though, they had no cleaning service, someone who worked there had to really hate dirt.

Kevin didn't have to wait long that time, because he had left thirty minutes before his appointment time rather than three hours and soon he was back on that leather couch, it crumpling under him and making that low rubbing noise leather did. Pantene was drinking coffee, as Kevin should have guessed and her eyes looked sombre as she watched him sit, but they soon became friendly as she smiled at him, the small wrinkles her age caused deepening by her eyes as she did.

"Good morning, Kevin. How was Paris." She asked, blowing the steam wafting up from her cup away before taking a sip and making a pleasant sighing noise.

"It was great." Kevin said, his grin widening slightly too far as he thought about what had happened there. He really couldn't get his mind off of sex.

"Tres bien," She said with another smile. "Paris is a lovely place. Did you visit the tower?"

"Yeah." kevin grinned, "It was great, super high and the view was great."

"Cold?" She asked.

"Freezing." He responded.

She regarded him with pleasant eyes, hiding her face behind her coffee mug as she drunk from it again and then said. "Well then, Kevin. Shall we pick up from where last session left off?"

Kevin nodded and Pantene uncrossed her legs as she leaned forward to place her coffee on the table. She said, "This is usually the time I'd take out notes on our previous session, but you asked Margerie not to do that so I continued that courtesy."

Kevin nodded at her. "But I have many patients, I'm afraid my memory isn't serving me as well today either. Mind reminding me what it was we were speaking of?"

Kevin smiled, "Well we were talking about... my sexual needs." He said, suddenly loosing his vigor to tell her as he remembered what it was.

Her face lit up. "Yes, that was it!" She shot Kevin a triumphant grin and he couldn't help relishing in just how human she as. Not stiff an analytical like most psychologists. "We were talking about you finding partners that have similar interest into power play as you do, weren't we?"

Kevin nodded.

"Well how has that been working out for you?"

Kevin hadn't talked to him about it yet, but he had Edd. He was dating Edd. Fuck he was dating Edd and he hadn't spoken to the boy about it yet. What if he ended up saying no? Kevin slumped his head. "Yeah, I got a boyfriend." He told his hands.

She laughed. "Well you didn't waste any time. Is he comfortable being submissive to you?"

Kevin looked up nervously. "I kinda... I haven't explained it to him yet."

She didn't frown, her face remained the same, open and friendly and Kevin was grateful for that. "Have you had sex with him yet?"

He looked down again, displeased with himself. "Yes." He replied.

"And was that vanilla sex, or did you act dominant over him without his permission?" Her voice wasn't judging, but the clarity of the implications behind the question if he had done it.

"I didn't rape him." Kevin said first, hastily. "I did tell him that I wanted to be a little rough, and I made sure he told me himself with words that he was okay before I did anything. But... I didn't really explain it to him beforehand."

Pantene smiled broadly, "Well then, there's nothing wrong with that."

Kevin blinked but he felt a tightness in his chest leave that he hadn't noticed was there before. "What?"

"Well it was consensual, you made sure he gave you vocal consent before you did anything. That's perfectly okay. BDSM isn't rape. As long as the sex is consensual and there are no victims created, everything is fine,"

Kevin nodded.

"That being said, you do need to have a discussion with him about it. I'd suggest you do it before you next have sex. It won't do you any good to hide it from him or sugar coat it."

"I know, but I don't know what to say to him."

"Just tell him the truth. If he does not share your interests, there is not much you can do about it."

That scared Kevin. He had gone all of his life getting what he wanted, Edd was one of the first people he wanted that didn't hand themselves to him on a platter with an apple in their mouths. And he had one Edd over, and he felt pretty damn good about that. But if all of that would be crushed just because of Kevin's sexual preferences, he didn't know what he'd do.

He growled, "I don't want him to leave me." Kevin's voice was demanding, almost as if, if Pantene told him it didn't matter, Edd would stay. Kevin's brain was so desperate, it somehow tricked itself into thinking power over Pantene would help him.

"I understand that, Kevin." She said, "But it is not up to you to decide whether he stays or goes." She picked up her coffee and drunk from it, "What is up to you, is telling him how you feel and what you need out of the relationship. That is your obligation. You can only give him the information, you can't force him to react to it a certain way.

"I want to force him!" Kevin snapped. "It'd be easier that way! I'm the prince, I should get what I want, Edd should be begging me to tie him up and fuck him. Edd should be grateful that I even look at him!"

Anger swirled around in Kevin's brain. He had power, why wasn't Edd doing whatever he told him. Kevin wanted power, craved it. How dare Edd take that away from him. How dare he!

Pantene's voice was sharp and assertive and it quickly silenced all of Kevin's thoughts of domination. "It does not matter who or what you are, nothing, _nothing _makes you entitled to sex. You are not entitled to anyone's body but your own and if you want someone who will abide by your every word, like law you've got another thing coming."

Kevin calmed down and rational thought returned to him. He instantly became ashamed. He went on about having power and needing it but he didn't even have power over himself. He hung his head.

"I'm sorry." He said, "I'm just so frustrated. I don't think I've ever liked someone more, and it scares me and excites me at the same time. I don't know how to feel anymore, I wouldn't know how to feel without him."

She smiled at him pityingly. "Well that explains it then. It's only natural to have strong emotional reactions to things that matter. But.." Her eyes became serious. "If you let another outburst like that happen around Edd I don't think it would convince him to stay any more."

Kevin remained silent.

"You need power over yourself. You can't have power over other people Kevin, not really. Everyone makes their own choices, but you can choose to control yourself. I'd tell you to refrain from seeing him until you could control yourself but you are already seeing him so that won't work."

"I want to talk to him about it." Kevin interrupted.

"Go on." She said after giving him a curious look.

"You are right." He said, "I've lost all control over myself. It's, disgusting." His voice suddenly filled with contempt. "But I can do the right thing by Edd right, and keep myself in check. I want to talk to him about it."

Pantene smiled, "That's the way to think. There's only so much help other people can give you, you have to want to help yourself."

Kevin smiled himself. "Then I will help myself."

Pantene seemed very pleased with Kevin. "Okay." She said, "Lets talk safewords."

* * *

Edd was worried about Eddy. He hadn't seen his friend since before he had left for Paris, and now Eddy was nowhere to be found. He would understand if Eddy simply did not want to see Edd but nobody had seen him. He had suddenly disappeared. Ed was very worried as well and the two boys had spent some time looking for him and asking around. Edd had reached only one conclusion, it was Ethan's doing.

Edd didn't know anyone else that would be able to do something like this, he just wondered what the boys motives were. Only problem was, Ethan had also disappeared leaving Edd to ponder things without any leads or any idea what was going on.

Walking around the halls he got questioned as well, people were still interested in his and Kevin's relationship. Edd was perplexed by it all, he honestly thought it would die down just as fast as it piled up but people were still running after Edd, interrogating him and making him feel uncomfortable and insecure. It was horrible.

"Double d, some people are speculating that you are only after Kevins money and power, is that true?"

That was it, Edd snapped. "This is not an episode of Downton Abbey! I am with Kevin because I like him and that is all!"

The boy talking to him seemed taken aback. "Actually." Edd said, "How about I ask you some questions?"

The boy gulped. "Erm, okay."

"Who is this Ethan person who has told everyone about me and Kevin?" Edd voice was cold and demanding and the boy was so surprised that the previously mild-mannered boy was being so aggressive.

"Um, that's Ethan Thames. His parents run a newspaper business."

"I was already informed of that. Why does he want to tell people about ke and Kevin?"

The boy looked around as if searching for a fire exit and Edd was a raging inferno. "Because it's a juicy story? They do it all the time. His parents newspaper always print articles on the prince."

"But why?!" Edd was becoming frustrated.

"Because he's the prince."

Edd stopped and breathed out heavily. "So it is that simple, then."

"Yeah." The boy laughed nervously.

"What about Ethan. Does anybody know anything about him?"

"Ethan's the guy you'd go to to find information out, I don't know who'd know about him."

_The more you worry, Edd, the easier it is for me to get out. _A voice cackled inside Edd's mind. He ignored it.

"Thank you. I would appreciate it if you could give me some space and not ask about Kevin. It is very stressful to have all these people in my face." He smiled at the boy who nodded before he turned around and left quickly.

Edd headed straight for Jim's room after that, he didn't want to speak to anyone else right then. When he got there, he knocked on the door and was let inside. Nat was home, for once and so were Jim and Plank, so it was a full house. Edd didn't ind voicing his worries in front of the other two boys because they might have some valuable information but he'd leave the part about his voice coming back, even if just for a second, for when it was just him and Jim alone.

"Hey Double d." Nat said upon seeing Edd. "Long time no see."

"Yes, it has been a while. How have you been, Nat?" Edd asked politely as he found a place to sit on the table, next to Plank who was silently munching on a piece of toast. Edd wondered idly why he was eating toast in the afternoon then decided that one could eat whatever they wanted whenever and stopped thinking about it.

"I've been great, man. How 'bout you? How's things with Kev?" Nat asked.

Eddy sighed. "Ever since the news got out it has been rather difficult to travel places without getting attacked. But my relationship with Kevin is going extremely well. I am appeased, at least in that sense." He added, "How are things with your partner? Jim said her name was Rave?"

Nat smirked. "It's a he." He said and Edd was pleasantly surprised.

He didn't hate heterosexual people, he didn't even really see them differently at all, but it was always great to find someone who was the same as you. He was almost certain Nat was straight, even with Nat being as flirtatious as he was toward people of any gender, he just assumed it was a farce.

Edd had also not heard the people properly when they had spoken of what Nat and Kevin had done together "last time." He was blissfully unaware that the two had even been involved.

Edd realised that he had not yet answered. "Well then, how are things with him, Nat?"

Nat grinned. "He has a nice ass."

Everybody, including Plank groaned at that. "That wasn't quite the information I was after, Nat, but thank you for your thoughts anyway."

Nat laughed and Edd couldn't help laughing back. The situation was rather silly and humorous.

"In any case, I came here for a reason." Edd continued. "I have discovered who it was that has spread the information around."

Jim's attention was peaked. "Oh really? Who was it?" He asked.

"A boy named Ethan Thames, do you know anything about him?"

Jim's face froze up and Plank's eyes narrowed as his teeth gritted. Nat looked surprised and a little confused, he said "But that guy is so shy, why would he want to tell anyone?"

Was Nat talking about the same Ethan that Edd had met? That Ethan wasn't shy at all, he was audacious in the worst way possible. But Edd didn't want to devalue Nat's perceptions, so he kept it to himself. Plank on the other hand.

"Ethan Thames is anything but shy." Nat blinked at Plank's growl and watched as his face became contorted in anger. "That's the guy that-"

Plank stood up, his fists clenched at his sides and Jim soon followed him, grabbing onto his wrist and stepping closer to him. "Plank it's okay. You don't need to be angry."

"What are you talking about Jim?! Of course I do!" Jim was conflicted, feeling a mix of hurt at Plank's sharpness and endearment to the care that caused it. "What he did to you was bad enough and now he's spreading Edd's personal information around and causing him all this trouble!"

Jim moved Plank's arm away from the side of his body and slid in, putting his own arms around Plank's waist. "It's okay." He said, "Edd hate's violence anyway. What Ethan did was wrong, but that doesn't mean we should go beat him up and lower ourselves to his level."

"Precisely." Edd said, "Plank, I appreciate your concern, but violence is never a good idea." He paused. "So Ethan was the bully you had to deal with, Jim?"

Jim nodded. "I hadn't heard from him again until now."

"Ethan a bully? No way, I remember him being a real nice guy." Nat said, refusing to believe that Ethan would do those kinds of things. Ethan was so scared of everyone, and of making his parents angry by accidentally saying or knowing something he shouldn't. If anything, Nat thought the information must have been bullied out of him.

"How can you say that after what we've just told you?" Planks growled angrily. "Jim was in bandages for weeks! Are you saying he'd lie about that."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy. Nat held his arms up in front of him in defense. "No, I would never say that. I'm just thinking, maybe you're getting him confused with someone else?"

That seemed to settle Plank down a little bit as he breathed out and sat down again.

"Well then, what does your Ethan look like, Nat?" Edd asked.

Nat hummed to himself as he thought. "He has curly black hair and brown eyes. Little bit shorter than Edd, skinny."

"Sounds just like him." Both Edd and Jim said in unison and Nat looked mortified. He put his head into his hands.

"Damn, why would he do that? I don't get it. What happened to him?" Nat looked defeated. Edd wondered..

"Were the two of you once close?" He inquired.

Nat nodded. "Back before I met Kevin, we used to be good friends. We ended up drifting a bit after coming to Alter Waters but I never realised he would have turned into someone like this."

Edd sighed, "I can imagine. Though I assure you, he isn't the same as you remember him. I spoke with him two days ago. He has changed."

"Yeah, sorry guys."

"So does anybody know anything else about him?" Edd questioned.

Everyone shook their heads. _Great._

* * *

Kevin texted Edd when he got back from Pantene telling him to meet him in his room and Edd sent a text back saying.

_Sure, I would like to speak with you about something when I do._

Kevin also had to talk to Edd about something but that could wait. It wasn't often that Edd asked for time like that, so Kevin was willing to listen.

When Edd got there he looked worried and Kevin instantly beckoned him over for a hug. "What's wrong?" He asked in a concerned tone.

"Oh nothing." Edd sighed, "It's just the other students and everything else."

It was all piling up and Edd was glad he had Kevin that he could relax with while everything was happening around him. The knowledge that Ethan was once a nice young boy also made Edd a little more hesitant to judge him. He had no problems disapproving of Ethan doing what he had, but he couldn't help but feel he must be acting that way for a reason. Edd was torn, between his personal convictions and his moral compass.

He asked, "Kevin, do you know anything about Ethan Thames?"

Kevin nodded, "Yeah, the Thames are information brokers but I don't know which one Ethan is." Then Kevin remembered. "Wait, is it the same Ethan as the one who told you I didn't want ya 'cause you were a boy?"

Edd nodded.

"Shit, that explains why he knew we were dating." Kevin frowned. "Listen if he comes near you again, tell me and I'll get him off your back."

"Thank you Kevin, but you said they were information brokers? I was told they own several newspapers."

Kevin nodded, "Yeah, that too but they are the best known info brokers in this area. They sell info for the big bucks, like millions of dollars."

Edd was aghast. "What information could possibly be worth that much?"

Kevin shrugged, "Fucked if I know." He said.

"Well I'll be sure to stay as far away from him as I can." Edd said and Kevin smiled.

"Good." He looked down, suddenly nervous that it was his turn to share. "Edd I want to talk about something as well."

Edd wondered what it could be. As far as Edd knew, Kevin hadn't had anything happen to him that Edd hadn't been through as well. Besides the getting stalked by a bunch of people think, there was nothing really going on was there? Perhaps Kevin wanted to speak of the past? Edd decided he'd just wait to find out.

"Okay Kevin. Speak away, I am listening."

Kevin gave a stiff nod and looked at Edd seriously. "Edd, we've had sex once now." He started and Edd was not expecting that. "So I need to talk to you about my, erm, preferences before I let this go any further."

Edd could see that Kevin was feeling nervous and even though he didn't know what was coming, he decided to make light of the situation. "Kevin if you have discovered you are only attracted to people with dog ears, I'm going to be upset."

Kevin scoffed and laughed. "No." He said with a grin, feeling better about what it was he had to say. He paused. "You know what BDSM stands for right?"

Edd's eyes went wide as memories flashed through his brain. _Mind if I'm a little rough? _Of course! Edd should have seen it before. That explained what Kevin meant by "preferences."

"I know what it stands for." Edd said.

"Yeah but most people think it only stands for sadism and masochism, do you know what all of it means?"

Edd shook his head.

"The B and the D stand for bondage and discipline. The D and the Ss stand for Domination and submission and the S and the M is the bit that stands for Sadism and masochism."

Edd swallowed. "And you'd like to engage in these kinds of sexual activities?"

"I'd prefer it." Kevin said. "But not the sadism and masochism part. I don't really get off hurting people. Unless you want that?"

"God no,Kevin." Edd replied, letting out a heavy sigh. "So the other two then, that is what you would like to do?"

Kevin nodded nervously. "We don't have to go all out straight away. Or even at all if you really don't want to, but I can usually only get off if I have sex that way."

"Is there any other way for you to reach sexual release? You seemed to have no trouble doing it last time." Edd's voice was calculatory but Kevin couldn't help feeling hot under the collar at how casually Edd was talking about sex. Damn testosterone.

"Yeah but that was because you were a virgin. Your curiosity and the idea of me being your first time was the extra stimulation I needed."

Edd nodded, feeling slightly objectified but not minding it too much. Kevin was being honest with him and if Edd had his facts straight, this kind of thing required a conversation and mutual agreement beforehand. Edd wasn't sure how he felt about it, he hadn't minded when Kevin had been rough with him, in fact he might of liked it a little, and he wouldn't mind being submissive to Kevin, he was practically doing that as it was anyway. Logically, Edd thought he should try it before he wrote it off as anything it might not be. He was also incredibly curious. He was naturally curious, it was why he enjoyed education so much, the more he knew about things, the better he felt. It was no different in the bedroom. Edd couldn't possibly know whether he liked something before he tried it and he trusted Kevin to take things at Edd's pace, he had proved himself capable of that the last time, so Edd was okay with it.

"I can try, Kevin." He said slowly. "But I can not promise that I will like anything we do. I am willing to try for your sake though."

Kevin looked like he had just won the run for congress. "Jesus, Edd. You're the best boyfriend I've had so far." He said as he leaned in and kissed Edd. It was a welcome action and Edd felt tension melt out of him as he leaned back into the kiss.

"So I have a drawer." Kevin explained as he pulled away, the trail of saliva connecting their mouths breaking with his first word.

Edd barked a laugh, "You have a drawer?" He asked sarcastically. "I'm amazed."

Kevin smirked, ignoring Edd's jab at him as he grabbed the smaller hand and led Edd over to his chest of drawers. When he opened the bottom one and Edd looked inside, he was a little shocked.

"You have a drawer." He repeated and that time, Kevin laughed.

"We don't have to use any of it yet if you don't want to. But I thought you should probably know what you had gotten yourself into."

Edd nodded, kneeling down and examining the contents of the drawer. He found handcuffs, dildo's and vibrators (which Edd wasn't sure if Kevin used them on himself or others) gags, metal rings, strips of leather and silk, a blindfold, a lot of lube, this slick, black rope and a box of condoms.

"Kevin, there is a word called excessive." Edd said and Kevin laughed.

"Believe it or not they all have different uses." Kevin informed Edd.

As much as Edd's social conscience told him that witnessing this should freak him out, he was more intrigued by all the things then shocked by them. He wondered what they were all for. He picked up the different things, examining them before setting them back down again. When he had looked at them all sufficiently he picked up the black rope in one hand and the leather strips in another and asked, "What is the difference in use between these two?"

Kevin bent down with Edd and took the rope. "This is rope for kinbaku, a Japanese style of bondage. It focuses on artistic patterns made from the rope to both bind and look nice. The leather there is just to stop you from moving."

Edd nodded, "And if you were to suggest a tool for a beginner, which one would you suggest?"

Kevin smirked, taking both of the items from Edd's hands and placing them back into the drawer before pulling out the silk. "This." He said.

"It will feel a little less tight and the silk will be nice on your skin."

Edd swallowed not really knowing what he was getting himself into. "Then let us try using the silk."

Kevin put his hand on Edd's shoulder, looking into his eyes. "You sure Edd, we don't have to rush into anything if you don't want to."

If Edd was honest with himself, he just wanted to escape from the world for a while. The voice's one liner that day had shaken him more than he cared to admit. He had only had sex once before but he was already willing to do something like that for the second time. Was that really wise.

_Worry, worry, worry. It doesn't matter anyway, soon he's going to tie you up then throw you in the trash._

"I'm sure." Edd suddenly said in spite of his voice.

Kevin nodded, unaware of Edd's self destructive behavior as he leaned in and kissed the smaller boy again. After the kiss had warmed them both up significantly and they were both slightly buzzing with lust, Kevin said. "Give me your hands."

Edd held out his hands slowly and Kevin caressed them gently before binding them in the silk. The fabric was cold and slippery on Edd's skin. Kevin said, "Now, it's silk and on top of that I haven't tied it properly, if you want to break free, it will be easy." Edd nodded. "But if that isn't enough I want us to have a safeword."

"A safeword?" Edd inquired.

"Yeah, a word you say when it's too much for you to handle and you want to stop. Use 'Roxy' if you need me to stop doing whatever it is, okay?"

"Why Roxy?"

Kevin laughed, "Because it is supposed to be a word you wouldn't usually use during sex, and I don't think there is a word that would get me out of the mood any faster."

Edd nodded. "Okay," He said.

Kevin leaned forward and kissed Edd again as his other hand snaked up and locked the door to his bedroom. Kevin said, "Alright if we do it right here on the floor."

Edd nodded as he couldn't see why not. Kevin smirked again and pushed Edd gently into a lying position as he began to remove Edd's clothing. When he got to the shirt he realised he had to undo the silk before he could take Edd's shirt off and cursed himself for being so stupid making Edd laugh, but eventually he had Edd naked and under him, with his hands tied high above his head.

Kevin ran a finger down Edd's chest, down his navel, veining dangerously close to Edd's cock but missing it as it trailed down his thigh and ended his trail at the end of Edd's leg. "Your skin is so soft." He commented as he bent down and began to lick around Edd's belly button causing him to gasp at the wetness and the warmth of Kevin's breath.

"Th-thank you." Edd replied as he squirmed under Kevin's touch. Kevin lifted Edd by his legs and rested his bottom half on his lap as he continued to trace his hand's over Edd's body. He pressed his palm into Edd's stomach and splayed his fingers out causing Edd to shiver. It tickled slightly but also sent shivers down his spine and into his cock.

Kevin watched hungrily and satisfactorily as Edd slowly became hard with each whimsical ministration. Kevin saw it slowly rise and found out which spots made him squirm or his cock twitch with his experimental exploration of Edd's body.

"Here." Kevin said as he swept a hand across the lower part of Edd's back slightly, bordering the top of the soft curve of Edd's ass and tracing over his tail bone. He squirmed and Kevin smirked satisfyingly. "If I touch here lightly, it's an erogenous zone." Edd stared at him behind the blush of his cheeks. "Too much pressure and it doesn't work the same."

Kevin supported Edd there with a hand as he lifted his lower half up slightly as he shuffled his hand around. Edd did nothing and Kevin put him back down. "You'll have more, more sensitive ones to." Kevin trailed his hand's up Edd's inner thigh's. That really got to him, he moaned and writhed, Kevin's touch almost unbearable and it soon sent his semi into a full erection.

Kevin smirked, "Like here I suppose." Kevin loved the total control he had in the moment, and finding Edd's erogenous zones would give him more control over Edd's reactions to his touch. He'd be able to have Edd react in certain ways depending on where he touched and in what way. Soon he'd have Edd begging to be fucking. _Not this time _Kevin told himself, but if he located and remembered Edd's most sensitive area's he'd have no trouble when he did want Edd to beg.

Kevin traced his fingers up Edd's inner thigh then cupped his scrotum for a while causing an involuntary moan to leave Edd before Kevin continued, shifting Edd up a bit more to give him better access as he traced his fingers along Edd's perineum.

Hearing the delicious moan that Edd emitted when he caressed that area, he lifted Edd up higher, moving his other hand to grip Edd's thigh's as he used them as leverage to lift Edd up. Edd made a strange sound that Kevin couldn't identify as Kevin lifted him.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Yes, Kevin. It's just, I didn't expect you to touch places like that. I didn't even really realise I had those places."

Kevin chuckled low in his throat. "You have those places and more." He said as he leaned forward and his tongue flicked out to lick the soft skin of Edd's perineum causing a very loud moan this time. Edd wasn't even trying to hide it anymore, he just let himself go as Kevin licked a strip up, sucking Edd's balls into mouth when he reached them. Kevin felt himself becoming hard in his jeans and tried to ignore it as he stimulated Edd. Soon though, he couldn't handle it anymore.

"Edd, I want you to suck my dick." Kevin said, not quite a command but still assertive in his tone. Edd was more than happy to comply, he had been feeling uncomfortable with how one sided their sex had become and he had been wondering what it would be like to perform oral sex.

"Yes." Ed breathed and Kevin was very happy as he unzipped his pants and let his cock out, feeling the cold air on it and shivering.

Edd got up and crawled over to Kevin who was now in a seated position and looked at his hard penis, the foreskin had pulled back revealing a swelled head and Edd swallowed. His face got closer to the member and he breathed in it's musky scent, masculine and erotic as it caused a lush filled slush to swirl around in his brain.

He licked the head experimentally and tasted what was essentially skin, a little bit of precum had come out which had it's own unique taste but there wasn't enough of it for Edd to really describe what it was like. He pulled the skin back and licked under it, acting on instinct but hearing Kevin snort above him, it gave him more confidence. He licked over the frenulum, flicking his tongue around both sides of it, then up it and eventually over the head.

"You're inventive." Kevin breathed wolfishly, "Fuck, it's great."

Edd was even more confident then as his tongue worked it's way around the rim of the head then back up the frenulum, dipping into the hole atop the head before he finally opened his mouth and sucked it in. His wet lips trailed over the head of Kevin's cock, then down the shaft as he took as much of it in as he could before coming back up. Kevin breathed happily and ragged as Edd sucked him off curiously, the virgin aspect making it better. Kevin was actually surprised that this was Edd's first time giving a blowjob, he was damn good at it.

"Wait." Kevin said as Edd looked up at him, Kevin's cock sliding out of his mouth, covered in his saliva as multiple trails lead into Edd's mouth. Kevin was done for, that image was too hot. It'd haunt him in his dreams.

He gently pushed Edd off and back onto his back before he turned around and scooted backwards, placing his knees either side of Edd's head. Kevin's cock dangled in Edd's face flicking some of his saliva back onto his chest as it did. Kevin put Edd's own cock into his mouth, swallowing it down once or twice before he came back up and said "Suck my dick."

That time it was a command and Edd had stopped worrying about the new BDSM situation when he found Kevin commanding him to do things turned him on. He took the large organ into his mouth again, sucking it as best he could at his new vertical angle.

Kevin stopped sucking Edd for a moment, grunting at the feeling of Edd tugging on his balls with his hands as he continued sucking and laughing at how tentative Edd was. He grabbed lube and condoms out of his drawer with his free hand and pour the lube into one as he went back down on Edd. His fingers slid over Edd's perineum and then over his hole, slicking it up slightly and propping it before his fingers slipped inside.

Edd moaned as he sucked Kevin some more, the vibrations causing extra pleasure to run through Kevin's abdomen. He thrust his fingers faster and took more of Edd into his mouth and the moaning happened again. Kevin realised that he could use the amount of pleasure he was giving Edd change the amount of pleasure he received and he played around with it for a while, trying different speeds and force and enjoying the vicissitudes of pleasure that it caused. eventually though, he just wanted Edd to cum.

He took his fingers out and moved his arm into a different position, re-entering Edd from under is back, as Kevin's arm wrapped around Edd's thigh, rather than from above Kevin's head like it had been before. It gave Kevin more leverage over Edd's body as he thrust into Edd's hole with three fingers and used his arm's strength to lift Edd up into his mouth. He moved faster, thrusting deeper and using the same hand to push Edd and his cock up into Kevin's mouth causing him to moan over and over, the vibrations sending Kevin over the edge.

He came forcefully into Edd's mouth and Edd swallowed the thick juice, slightly tasting it's saltiness as it went down. Edd soon came as well into Kevin's mouth before he collapsed, panting and exhausted. But Kevin wasn't done with him yet.

He hadn't swallowed yet and held Edd's cum in his mouth as he turned around and leaned over Edd, looking into his eyes. When Edd saw him and his cheeks, he knew what was coming and opened his mouth. Kevin opened his own, rolling his tongue out as Edd's cum dripped into his own mouth and he got to taste himself before Kevin leaned forward and kissed him.

"How do you taste?" Kevin asked and Edd replied, "Better than you did. You need to eat more vegetables."

Kevin could only laugh as Edd would be one of the only people that would respond like that. He smiled at Edd. "Come on, let's go to sleep."

He said, scooping Edd up in his arms and making him giggle as he brought him over to the bed and placed him down on it, giving him one last kiss goodnight before he climbed in and snuggled with Edd, feeling his warmth flow into the other boy and vice-versa.

"Kevin." Edd said.

"Yes?"

"I think I liked that."

Kevin chuckled to himself and said "Good." Before sleep tugged both their eyes shut, as they drifted off.

* * *

Ooh, the plot thickens! And Yep another Kevedd lemon. You can see why I had to hold off the Nave for a while, sorry. Again, it will only get kinkier from here on out, hope you are all prepared for that.  
Just some sexy vocabulary for those that don't know. The perineum is the area of skin between the anus and the scrotum. The frenulum is the bit of flesh that connects the foreskin to the head of the penis.  
"Tres bien" means "very good" in french (I'll translate this one, because it is short :P)  
Roxy is Kevin's mum's name in this fic (don't know her canon name is, if there is one) in case you'd forgotten.

Next time: Spend some quality time with Rave and Nat as he practices his play. Eddy's disappearing act continues.


	22. Chapter 22

**The Prestigious and Highly Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 22**

Two years prior, on a Friday afternoon, in Nat's freshman year, was when he had met Kevin for the first time.

"_Nat, do we really have to be here?" Ethan had asked nervously, staring around at the bodies dancing in the dark and trance-like glow of the party lights that flashed on and off in technicolour. _

_Nat shrugged Ethan's nervousness off. "Are you kidding, dude? This is totally awesome!" Nat had said excitedly, ogling all the breasts of older girls that had been dancing around. He stared at their butts too, especially their butts. "The girls here are hot."_

_Ethan grumbled to himself as he followed behind Nat, searching the sea of bodies with tentative eyes. Off in the corner he saw a boy with bright orange hair, dressed in a suit with a bowtie. which he looked like he was very uncomfortable in as he scowled at some of the people around him. A girl with blond hair, wearing a nice sky blue dress stood next to him. Ethan recognized them both straight away, that was prince kevin and his best friend Nazz._

_Ethan pointed them out to Nat "Hey isn't that the prince?" He asked._

_Nat looked over and his jaw hung low, "Looks like the guys here are hot too." He said and Ethan frowned._

"_When are you going to quite that gay thing, Nat?" He asked irritably._

"_Who says it's a game." Nat replied with a dazzling smile. "I'm gonna go talk to him."_

"_Wait, Nat!" Ethan called but it was too late, Nat was already half way across the floor and Ethan had to run to catch up._

_Nat sauntered over to Kevin, far too confident for his own good as he slid in next to him. "Hey there cutie he said." He said._

_Kevin eyes him suspiciously for a while before he asked, "Who are you?"_

_Nat gave him a toothy grin. "Name's Nat, how about you."_

"_Kevin." He said simply as he turned to face Nazz. "I want to get out of here." He said to her._

_She nodded and got up with Kevin but before they could leave Nat grabbed Kevin by his wrist. "Hey, where are you off to in such a hurry?"_

_Kevin pulled away angrily and said, "Don't touch me, dork." _

_Nat cocked his head sideways as he blinked at Kevin curiously. He pointed at his own face with one finger. "How am I a dork?" He asked._

"_Because you're annoying, that's why." He said as he continued to walk away._

_Nat picked up a steady pace behind him and Ethan, who had watched the scene unfold from afar, followed behind Nat. _

"_Hey, no need to be so shitty. Maybe we got off to a bad start?"_

"_There is no such thing as a good start between us." he growled, "Now fuck off."_

_Nat wasn't giving up so easily though. Kevin had insulted him and he couldn't just let it fly. He reached a hand out and gripped Kevin's shoulder, spinning him around. "Hey just calm d-"_

_Suddenly all desire to talk left Nat when he saw Kevin's face, livid as his fists trembled by his side. Nat was confused but didn't run away if only to see what it was that Kevin was so angry about. He spoke in a low gurgle, commanding and scary. "What gives you the right to touch the prince, you filthy piece of shit?"_

_Nat bit his lip. He had followed after this so called prince because he thought he was cute and gave him the merit of assuming he had had a bad day or something. But that arrogance was something Nat hated, though he didn't fully understand why it made him equal parts angry in his immature thought processes. He just knew that Kevin had insulted him, and the newfound testosterone that had him bouncing with energy was urging him forward to do something in his own defense. He did. He punched Kevin, smack on the jaw. It had surprised even him._

_Kevin immediately jumped up from the ground and Nat had thought he'd jump at him so he braced himself, but instead he felt a tight grip around his wrist as Kevin dragged him away. All Nat could do was stumble after Kevin clumsily as the other stronger boy lead him. He didn't know what had happened to the Ethan or Kevin's friend as he was dragged out of the cankers room and down the hallway, into an abandoned classroom._

_He was beginning to wonder what was going to happen until he felt his back slam against a table as he gasped in pain. He looked at Kevin to see the boy ripping his bowtie off in anger and staring at him, his brows knitted in frustration. He stepped forward and punched Nat in the face with feeling and Nat could feel the force on the other side of his face. Nat looked back up at Kevin with a startled expression on his face as the ginger turned around and locked the door behind him. _

_Nat began to get scared as Kevin took a step toward him. Was Kevin going to beat him up in a classroom where nobody could hear? Nat was too beautiful to die young, he had to escape._

_Nat got to his feet and ran straight for the door, a foolish move as Kevin easily pushed him back to the floor. "You aren't going to be able to get away." He said, "Might as well just give in and make things easier for both of us."_

_The he gripped a hand around Nat's tie and pulled him up into a kiss. Nat was utterly shocked. Kevin's mouth was warm and soft and he kissed Nat gently. Nat had been trying to flirt with him but he hadn't expected it to happen this way. His first kiss. Nat talked a lot of smack but he had never actually done anything with another person before, it was surprisingly pleasant._

_Kevin looked at Nat in the eyes with a serious expression. "I'm going to fuck you." He said, "And you're going to let me. Or I will give you more than just that bruise on your cheek. Dork."_

Nat rubbed his eyes furiously in his hands as he was able to force the flashback to stop before it reached painful memories. "Why did I fall in love with you?" He whispered to himself, defeated by the memory.

How things had changed since then. Nat had, Kevin had, apparently now Ethan had. They were all so naive, all so stupid. Nat sighed. Kevin was getting better though, he was seeing a psychologist according to Nazz and Nat knew he could trust her when it came to Kevin, and Edd seemed happy with him. As far as Nat knew Kevin hadn't really bullied Edd into doing anything he didn't want to.

Nat resented that a bit, but mostly he was happy for them. He thought they made a really unusual but cute couple.

"Edd's a boy." Nat mumbled idly to himself. He knew that Kevin found the dominance thing more satisfying if he did it with another boy, not that Kevin had ever said that but Nat had picked it up from observing Kevin for the two years they had been together.

He shook his head a bit. He had Rave now, and Rave was cuter and nicer than Kevin ever was. Rave was good for him, Nat knew that, and he knew that he was also good for Rave, even if the other boy would never admit it.

Nat leaned back on Rave's bed, empty now that the boy had gone off to practice his lines with the rest of the cast and had insisted that Nat wait until it was the opening night otherwise it'd "ruin it" for him. He slapped both hands onto his face. "This is all just a cover up isn't it?" He asked the wind. "I'm not really all that upbeat, not anymore."

Na leaned sideways with a groan and caught sight of one of Rave's shirts. He brought it close to his face and inhaled the scent, being reminded of his boyfriend. "No." He said, "I'm happy with him. The past doesn't matter."

Nat got up, he wanted to see Rave. He wanted to annoy him and see the cute face Rave made when he was angry. He got up and left the room.

* * *

"Nazz, you really killed those lines, I didn't realise you could actually sing." Rave said insensitively as they finished the last scene they were rehearsing.

Nazz rolled her eyes but then smiled a dazzling, fake smile "I'm just that good at acting." she said and Rave snorted.

"Right well, whatever you had for breakfast, have that again on opening night."

She smiled at him, genuinely this time and then the door opened.

"Hello my lovely, cutie-pie, overly attached, lovey-dovey, mushy, romantic boyfriend!" Nat sung as he skipped into the room in mockery.

Rave frowned and slapped himself in the forehead. "I can't believe that I actually have sex with that sometimes."

Nat smirked as he sidled up to Rave on stage. "What are you talking about babycakes, you know why you have sex with me." he said as his hand attacked Rave's crotch.

He whacked the hand away quickly and scowled at Nat. "Don't do that in public, idiot. I have no problem with showing my sexuality but PDA is disgusting no matter what the gender of the people involved."

Nazz giggled to herself and Rave sighed. "Let's just go." He said.

"Fine by me." Nat smirked.

"Hey guys." Nazz interrupted. "Wanna come get lunch with me? I have something I want to talk to you about that I can't tell Kevin."

"Can't tell Kevin huh?" Nat said rubbing his hands together in front of him. "This should be good."

* * *

"Plank, if you had a baby and she was a girl, what would you name her?" Jim asked.

Plank stared at him incredulously. "Why are you asking me that?" He said a little grumpily.

"Because, that's something nobody would ask you Plank." Jim deepened his voice and made a mock stance of what he was trying to communicate as the "other guys". "Plank and kids? What are you talking about?" He returned to his normal tone and posture. "But I think it would be interesting to ask you about that."

Plank gave him a sober look and paused, holding the stare for a moment as if waiting for Jim to explain that it was all a joke. "You bored?" He finally asked "Can't we just go to the pool or something?"

"We have a pool!?" Jim suddenly screamed in an excited tone.

"Yeah. Wanna go?" Plank asked, happy to change the subject to that of impending physical activity.

"No, well yes. But you have to answer!" Jim said unhappily and Plank groaned but decided to ponder the question.

He had never really thought of having kids before and therefore hadn't thought of their names. But, what would he call a girl? It would have to be something pretty right? A girl would like a pretty name. Lilly? No. Rose?

"Anette."

"Why Anette?" Jim asked curiously and Plank gave him a look that simply said "no."

Jim laughed a little "Okay I get it." He said holding his hands up in defense. "Let's go to the pool then."

Jim was very excited to see that the pool was just as large and prestigious as the rest of the school and wondered if he could change out of his regular gym class and get into swimming. It would be so much more fun.

"I want to change into swimming class. Will you change with me, Plank?" Jim suddenly asked as they walked into the change rooms looked at Plank to receive confirmation and he replied with a simple nod.

When they got into the changerooms and Jim took his swimming trunks out of his plastic ag, Plank realised he was in trouble and he started to panic. Jim didn't seem to really pay attention to what was happening around him as he lifted the hem of his green jumper up over his head. It seemed to move in slow motion and Plank watched it happen, unable to tear his eyes away though whatever part of his brain it was that controlled morality screamed otherwise.

The soft curve's of Jim's stomach muscles were revealed first and in the light of the lightbulb above them, Plank saw for the first time how white Jim's skin was. It was so pale, almost white looking but it somehow seemed to work with Jim. It didn't make him look ghostly or vampiric, it just sort of fit him.

As the jumper was lifted higher, it revealed soft, pink nipples and Plank was about ready to nope into next week. His legs stiffened and he froze as he stifled a snort and continued watching as he absentmindedly placed his own bag on the polished wood seats next to him.

Jim's collar bones were prominent but were accentuated even further as Jim's arms stretched high above him, deepening the sockets there and shading them before the jumper was finally taken off and Plank had to look away and pretend he was getting changed himself.

He hastily threw his shirt off and grumbled to himself, flustered. He tried to focus on getting himself changed but he couldn't, he peaked behind him at Jim who was just then taking his khaki shorts of. His waist was skinny and his small size also made those v lines usually only reserved for really ripped guys. His thigh's were skinny too and the same whitish skin tint. Small prickly hairs grew on them that were only visible in the light shining in from the window due to their light colour.

Plank spun back around and all but threw his clothes of as he hastily stepped into his own swimming trunks.

When Jim turned around and saw Plank shirtless he was suddenly in more turmoil than he had been back in Paris. Plank was, well Jim had always known he was handsome when he had seen the guys face, but Jim had never appreciated that part of him before. Plank was broad rather than muscular. He did have some muscle definition, more than average, Jim guessed but they weren't overly big. But Plank's chest was wide and indented in the middle nicely. His abdominal muscles were prominent and lean as they stretch down his long torso. His biceps were quite large too but Jim had already discovered that from all the times the to had hugged.

Jim had no idea whether what he was feeling was attractions, masculine appreciation or envy, or even a mixture of all three. All Jim knew was that he wanted to continue staring, and he did, he couldn't stop. It was just so, beautiful, no that was the wrong word, nice? Jim had no idea, but he liked looking at it.

Plank shifted uncomfortably. "Let's go." He said in his low voice and Jim was startled at first but he ended up nodding.

He smiled, suddenly getting an idea. "Race you." He said sprinting past Plank and managing not to fall over on the wet floor as he made his way out into the pool area. Plank followed close behind him and said "I'm gaining on you, better hurry up."

Jim giggled and tried running faster as he ran toward the deeper area of the pool where he would be able to jump in. There was a small iron fence holding him off from jumping in straight away though so he ran around to the other side. But during the process PLank had caught up with him. Jim was determined to win though so he pushed forward as fast as he could go but as he did he slipped over and started falling forward.

Plank didn't have time to think, he quickly lunged forward, catching Jim around the waist and straightening his back to lift Jim up and hold him against him but by that time the momentum was too much and he had to jump into the pool with Jim in his arms.

Relieved that he wasn't bleeding on the floor with a concussion, Jim began to scream and cackle happily before they both plunged underwater. Jim felt his hair lift away from his head underwater as he quickly swam up, emerging with a splash and a sharp breath before he giggled again.

"I win!" He announced happily.

"No you didn't." Plank protested. "If I hadn't saved you you would be dead right now, I let you get in in front of me which means I win."

"How about we settle it with a race to the other side." Jim said and without wasting any time he turned around and started to freestyle toward the other end of the pool.

Plank made a grumbling sound, knowing that Jim would be giving Plank heavy handicaps in whatever other games he wanted to play but determined to prove that they didn't matter. He swam as fast as he could to catch up.

* * *

"So Edd is staying in my room." Nat and Rave blinked in confusion. Rave, because he didn't really know Eddy all that well and Nat because he had no idea why Eddy would be staying in her room. "And when I say staying, I mean he isn't leaving for anything, he wanted me to bring him food in."

Rave looked at her, "Did you?"

She looked down, a little embarrassed and said "Yeah, kinda."

"Do you guys even like each other?" Nat asked.

"Yeah, we're friends. We have economics together." She explained.

"Okay." Nat said, nodding. "But why would he come to stay in your room? Sounds to me like he want's your d."

"I don't have a 'd' to give, Nat."

"Your v then, whatever." Nat smirked. "Or b, that's universal."

Rave sighed, "Are you ever not thinking about someone's ass, you butt pirate?"

"That's a new one. And only your's love."

"As much as I'm sure Nazz loves to watch your one-sided flirting attempts" Rave said sarcastically. "She want's to talk to us about something. Maybe you could pay attention, if you weren't a complete idiot."

"Point taken." Nat said, "Do go on." And there was only slight sarcasm in his tone.

"Eddy is upset about Kevin and Edd." Nazz explained with a pity filled sigh. "I think he's just riding it out, you know. He bought his x-box with him and he plays it all day."

Nat looked horrified. "Don't tell me he wants to fuck one of them."

"Is all you ever think about sex?" Nazz said sharply with slight irritation. "No, he's just having a hard time dealing with it is all. People are making a huge fuss over it, I think it's kinda being shoved in his face."

"So he's being a pussy, then." Rave said bluntly.

"I wouldn't say that." Nazz tried to reason.

"If he can't handle the idea of two people dating, he's going to have a hard time in life. He can't hide in your room playing x-box forever now, can he?"

Nazz grunted in defeat. "I get what you mean, I suppose. But I want to get rid of him in a nice way."

Rave looked at her as if she was the most stupid person on the earth and it kind of made Nazz feel bad. He said "You either tell him to get out or you tell either Kevin or Double d where he is and let them rat him out."

"Not Kevin, god no." Nazz said shuddering at the idea of those two interacting with each other again. "But, I think I'll tell Double d. You're right, Eddy can't stay in my room forever."

"I'm always right." Rave replied matter-of-factly.

* * *

Nice to see you on the other side. As you can probably tell Kevin and Nat's backstories are kind of dark. I didn't go into any detail just yet but make sure you tread on light toes if you have a weak heart. Some of the stuff might be triggering in future chapters.

Next time: Eddy is found, but what happens next?


	23. Chapter 23

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 23**

Kevin awoke, his vision glazed over with yawn-fresh tears and mounds of sleep in the corners of his eyes. He noticed and emptiness next to him where Edd should be and lifted himself up with a groan and rubbed his eyes semi clean with the back of his finger. Blinking twice, he looked over to find Edd sitting at a table across from Kevin's bed and doing homework. Of course. He was doing homework.

Kevin stretched his back and felt pressure dissipate from the joints there satisfactorily as he heard a series of popping sounds. Throwing the blankets off, he got up and trudged sleepily over to Edd, near collapsing on top of him as his eyes gave way slightly but managing to balance himself at the last moment as he slid his arms around Edd's neck and gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Morning, baby." He said groggily and squeezed Edd tighter in his arms as he felt the other's smaller hands come up to rest on top of his. "Whatcha doin?"

Edd said, "I am finishing my physics homework." Not turning away from it as he tapped his pencil against his lips idly and thought. "I was unable to finish it last night because-" Ed paused and became slightly embarrassed "Well, you know what happened instead."

Kevin chuckled to himself in a low, morning voice that brought Edd's thoughts away from his studies more than he thought his disciplined mind would allow. Apparently though, it seemed that Kevin had a tendency to eliminate Edd's common sense. Which, no matter how hard Edd tried, he couldn't really see as a bad thing, considering the perks that came along with it, it was after all an entirely new kind of learning.

"Double d, why didn't you say you had work to finish, I could've helped you and we would've had it done in no time."

Edd turned around for the first time to give Kevin an incredulous look which made Kevin chuckle again. "Okay, maybe I would have just sat there and you would have done all the work." He smiled cheekily as if he were proud of that admission, then his face returned to a more woebegone state. However when Edd was trying to be less verbose, he'd call it a pout. "I would have liked to wake up with you in my arms though."

Edd wasn't quite sure how he should react to that. It was the first time he had ever really witnessed Kevin being "cute". No perhaps that was the wrong word but it was a unique thing to see him so openly lamentful over something. Edd equated it to the groggy perception screening shade of the morning, or maybe it was because Kevin was becoming more complacent with sharing himself with Edd. Whatever the reason Edd was lost for words, none of his natural academic ability could help him then. He never really saw himself as too much an erroneous social disaster, but he did know that figuring people out was a lot harder than figuring out differential equations in calculus.

He turned around and softly placed his lips up against Kevin's. It was on a whim, a desperate attempt to act in the way that he was supposed to, an attempt to make Kevin happy. It was his first time initiating any kind of intimate contact and it made Edd feel good, somehow. It seemed Kevin liked it too as he smiled goofily and said. "Thanks but I still want to cuddle next time."

Edd smiled back, softly. "It is a Saturday Kevin, I'll have all of the day to cuddle with you once I finish this."

Kevin nodded, a happy grin plastered on his face. "I'll go get us breakfast then. Stay here."

Edd did, as he had nowhere else he needed to go and physics homework to finish. He had worked through about half of it when Kevin returned. He wheeled in a table with a white cloth and silver dishes on it in. Looking at them as they got closer Edd saw he was in for a far from royal meal of bacon and eggs and, checking the time, he said, "This is more lunch than breakfast, Kevin." He laughed tenderly.

Kevin smiled in a similar way to children who knew they were about to be scolded. "I know." He said softly, "But it's still food, right?"

"Right."

Edd and Kevin ate their brunch as they spoke fondly to each other. Kevin woofed down too much at once on more than one occasion and ended up coughing and spluttering all over the floor. Edd prayed for the sanity of the person in charge of keeping Kevin's room clean because Kevin had a penchant, it seemed, for making a mess of things.

After their meal Edd and Kevin caught up on some much needed cuddling, much to Kevin's felicity as they watched one a movie. Edd had never seen nor heard of it prior but it was apparently one of Kevin's favorites. He enjoyed it and reviewed it with the thought that despite it's heavy actions scenes, the movie had heart and the plot was also intriguing and interesting. Edd could see why it would be one of the prince's favorites, the main character was valiant and a strong leader, everything the young prince must have wanted to be when he was younger.

* * *

"I'm always right." Rave said and Nazz rolled her eyes. Rave was cool but had the ego the size of central park, or bigger.

She knew that she had to get Eddy out of her room somehow, she couldn't harbor him in their, with Kevin being her best friend, it would be like harboring a fugitive. Kevin found that Eddy, the guy that had caused him so much trouble over the years was staying in her room to hide from his boyfriend, Eddy's best friend, just because he didn't like Kevin, well that'd get him riled up. In fact, if Nazz didn't escape Alter Waters after it happened and let things biol over, walking down the school hallways would be similar to walking past german soldiers with a swastika on her head during shooting practice.

She said goodbye to Nat and Rave, thanking them for their help and hurrying toward her room. She wanted to check that Eddy was still there before she sent Double d to look for him. Opening the door, she saw that Eddy was where she had left him, headphones in as he yelled at the computer screen and played a game, whatever game it was. Content that Eddy was still home, she closed her door with a soft thud she knew Eddy wouldn't hear with the music of the game blaring in his ear.

She snuck off quickly toward Edd's room and knocked on the door. She waited and then the door was opened by Ed, the other Ed. She frowned. "Hey Ed, where's Double d?" She asked.

"Double dee went to see Kevin yesterday." Ed said in his usual dull tone. "He hasn't come back yet."

"Right." She nodded. "Thanks, Ed."

That would be right wouldn't it. Just to make her life easier. She supposed she'd be able to get past it if she showed up pretending to be looking for Kevin and then somehow go Edd alone. She just hoped she didn't walk in on them doing something. She growled, Eddy was lucky she was doing this for him, she could just kick him out and have that burden out of her life far easier, but she was willing to go behind her own best friends back because Eddy was so damn miserable about it. When Nazz was being honest, it was pathetic, but she knew that Kevin had been an arrogant asshole to anyone that wasn't her in the past so she could see where he was coming from. It was one of those annoying situations that she almost felt responsible for Kevin's actions and therefore felt obligated to help fix things like this. Everyone was just real damn lucky, she might just leave to go rock-climbing one day with Matthew and never come back.

But soon enough it was Kevin's door that she was knocking on and he was calling from behind it, "Who is it?"

"Nazz." She replied.

"It's unlocked."

Nazz reached out and opened the door with a turn of the handle and found Edd laying back against Kevin's chest and Kevin's arm wrapped around Edd's front as they sat and watched the TV. Honestly, it made Nazz really happy to see. It was completely different from the relationship Nat and Kevin had had. They were both great guys in their own sense's but they had a terrible toxic relationship together. That didn't mean they weren't happy, on the contrary up until the end they had spent most of their days together as happy as could be. The banter and rivalry was part of the relationship, it was the sexual aspect that ruined it, the intimacy. They weren't right for each other, and seeing them with their new respective boyfriends, she could see that more than ever. They would make great friends though, Nazz wished they'd just make-up and she wouldn't have to give Nat continual progress reports anymore. And although he wouldn't say it, Nazz new that Kevin was worried about him too.

On top of that Kevin didn't get along with Eddy, which was why she was there so she tried to focus on that. Why did everyone have to be so complicated. If all of the hot-headed guys she knew and was friends with would just talk with each other, they'd all get through their problems easily, they'd all find that they have a lot in common actually. Eddy and Kevin, now on top of the hotheadedness, the running into situations without really thinking about it and avoiding conflict they would easily solve with a few words, had another thing in common. Wanting Edd to be happy. If they could both see that common interest, Nazz would sure they'd find some way to healthily coexist. Not that telling either one of them that would help though. She sighed and was glad it was Double d, who she heard from Kevin was rather level headed and rational, that she had to bring to find Eddy and not Kevin.

She walked in slowly with a brilliant smile on her face, only half-fake but very convincing as she said, "I should have known Double d would be with you, Kev." She said as she grabbed a chair and dragged it closer to Kevin's bed and sat on it backwards.

Kevin looked pleased to see her as he said, "How are ya?"

"Great, Kev." She replied, not willing to ask how he was in return to avoid small talk.

"What are you doing here?" Kevin asked and that was her jackpot. She could use that.

"Well," She said. "I had come here to see you, Kev. But now that Double d's here, I kinda need help with my homework." She turned to Edd. "Think you could help a gal out?" She asked.

Edd nodded. "Certainly, Nazz. What is it you need help with?"

Nazz said, "Physics and Chemistry."

"Well of course I'd be glad to help."

Nazz was just about to say something along the lines of "Great can you come see me in my room later?" at the risk of making herself seem like she wanted to fuck Edd but Kevin made it so she didn't have to.

"Jesus not homework again." He gently pushed Edd off of him and got up. "I'm gonna go out, you two have fun." He said.

"Wait, Kevin." Edd called, "You should stay, and make a study group. I'm sure you'll learn a thing or two."

_Shut up Edd._ Nazz thought desperately.  
Kevin grinned as if to say "No way" but replied, as he grabbed a baseball bat. "Nah, I need to go practice some, the coach thinks I've been slacking off lately anyways."

"Okay then." Edd said as Kevin opened the door. "Have fun."

And then he was gone and Nazz was glad that he had made it so easy for her. It would make it a lot less stressful.

Edd turned to her with a pleasant gaze and opened his mouth to ask, no doubt about her homework but she interjected him. "Edd I have something I need to talk to you about and it has nothing to do with physics."

The boy was sufficiently taken aback. He asked, "What is it?"

Nazz sighed, that was it, no more pussyfooting around after that. "I know where Eddy is."

If Edd was taken aback before he was flung across to the other side of the room now. His faced washed over in surprise and relief mixing into a spectacular display of loose jaw movements and choked beginnings of words as Edd tried to express himself. "W-where?"

Nazz swallowed, "He's been staying in my room. He didn't want to have to see you and Kevin acting as a couple."

Edd narrowed his gaze a bit, thinking back to his original theory about Ethan whom he still hadn't seen. "He came of his own free will?" Edd asked.

Nazz didn't notice the implications of Edd's tone when she replied as if it were obvious. "Yeah, of course."

Edd did not like this at all. He had a hard enough time dealing with the idea of Eddy being even slightly homophobic, and even though that it was obvious both from his sudden disappearance and what he had said to Ed when he left that the reason for him doing so was because of Kevin and Edd. But he had been so worried and caught up in other things (like Ethan) that he didn't find the time to be personally offended by it yet. Not really anyway. Now though, it hit him like a ton of bricks.

Eddy, his supposed best friend had ran away from him simply because of who he decided to date. If Edd was not mistaken it was a choice that had absolutely nothing to do with him. In fact, Edd thought who he decided to spend intimate moments with was the thing that would have the least impact on Edd's life out of everything. He had no reason to act this way, he was being a homophobic jerk.

"I would like to see him." Edd said with solid resolve.

Nazz nodded "That's what I'm here for."

Nazz lead Edd to her room and Edd was feeling rather angry. It was a strange feeling, anger mixed with the guilt of his own aggression then a new bout of vindictive rage, as he justified his previous bout to himself. It happened in a cycle and left Edd feeling dizzy, confused and rather apprehensive. He clenched his fists at his sides, he needed to keep himself together if he was to pose his arguments to Eddy concisely and with conviction.

Nazz didn't seem to notice Edd's anger, or at least she chose not to as she lead him quietly to her room, finally reaching it. She said under her breath, "He's gonna kill me," but opened the door slowly making a low, wooden creak.

Inside he saw Eddy staring at a screen as it illuminated his face, distorting his skin pigment in flashes of greens blues and reds. He hadn't seemed to notice them enter as he continued smashing his fingers into the screen. Escapism had never looked uglier to Edd than at that moment. But he had calmed himself down completely at the sight of the other boy and was just relieved that he knew he was safe and not kidnapped by some strange people that Ethan and his family had the money to employ. Of course looking at the situation logically they would have no reason to waste resources on making Edd upset, but in his traumatic delirium, he had latched onto it with a vehement passion to it's truth.

Edd crept inside and moved slowly closer to Eddy who still hadn't noticed him. He wasn't sure exactly what to do anymore. He didn't have the fuzz of anger pleasantly diffusing his responsibility to make logical decisions. Even if it would be something he may regret later at least it was easy and made sense.

_You're getting weaker again, Edd. _His voice chided, back again to annoy him at a time he really didn't need it. But he wouldn't let the voice get the better of him. He was not weak, Edd knew he wasn't weak. He'd confront Eddy and be sensible and mature about it.

Edd walked up, semi-confidently and tapped Eddy on the shoulder. Eddy turned his head, expecting to see Nazz but, met with Edd's cyan eyes he literally threw himself back wards in shock, ripping the headphones off of his head and holding them close to the suddenly rapid beating of his chest.

"D-Double d!" He said in mock casualty, overlayed with obvious fear so much that Edd wanted to slap himself in the face.

"Eddy, why did you run away?" Edd asked, straight to the point.

Eddy looked worried, very worried. He was at a loss for words. He might know what he'd want to say to Edd if he was expecting the visit, but it had come completely unprecedented and he had no idea how to react. He was a stammering mess, worse than Edd was and it frightened him that their roles had suddenly been reversed. That fright quickly turned into anger, fuel for confidence which he burned as he growled. "Why do you think?" contemptfuly.

Edd managed to find a stern voice inside of himself and spit it out with the words "Eddy it is not fair, the way you are treating me!"

Eddy frowned, "What are you talking about Double d?" He asked bitterly, playing dumb out of his own desperation for the argument to end.

Edd felt tears prickle the back of his eyes and he scolded himself mentally for them as he held them back with the last fibre's of his self restraint. "Eddy you cannot judge people based off things they can't control. It is not fair, I thought you were different."

Eddy crossed his brows, angrily, causing deep wrinkles to spread across his forehead. Now he was really mad. "Me?! What about Kevin? I was here for you since the beginning! What good has he done for you?" He snarled.

Edd was appalled. "He has done more than enough! He is a sweet, caring person, which is more than I can say for you."

"He's anything but! What have I done?" Eddy was even more desperate than before, his brain hardly processing the words he threw at Edd.

"You homophobic tyrant!" Edd bellowed

Eddy paused and he realised right then and there the mistake he had made. He saw the tears that had began to slowly roll out, over Edd's puffy red under eyes and saw the flush of his face and realised how out of place it was for him to acting so angry. It all made sense.

"I'm not weeping!" Edd snapped turning around.

"Double d..." He said softly.

"Shut up!" Edd said, and even something as simple as that was harsh sounding from Edd and it was a strange thing to hear, and it hurt some. "I - I thought that you were one of the people that would not judge me based off who I was, but I was wrong. Why would you be like this Eddy?"

"It has nothing to do with the fact you're gay Edd!" Eddy yelled, making Edd psin around with a shocked expression on his face, both from the admission and the use of his real name from the shorter boy. "Fuck, I've known since the moment I saw you. Or at least I thought so. That's why I told you to stay away from Kevin."

Edd blinked, not sure how to feel anymore. His heart had stop hurting, he didn't really feel betrayed anymore and he wasn't in turmoil because of his conflict with Eddy. He had leveled out, but he still felt heavy. Like something was off, Edd wasn't sure if he'd rather be in strong emotional distress and know what he was feeling or what he was now, in limbo, unsure.

He asked, "Then this is about Kevin?"

Eddy turned his head sideways "Of course it is."

Edd frowned, concerned now more than angry or upset. "What is it you dislike about Kevin, Eddy?"

Eddy looked at Edd's face, innocent and curious and he sighed. "You're so goddamn naive." He said bitterly. "You don't know what he did, to me and to so many other people. He's a fucking asshole, why can't you see that?"

Edd frowned. "Eddy, Kevin has been nothing but a gentleman to me. I can't imagine him being any different." Eddy looked at Edd and Edd added. "Do you not believe me Eddy?"

How could Eddy say no to that. Edd might be a pain at times but he would never lie, and Eddy knew he was too smart to have misjudged Kevin, if he said he had only ever treated him right, Eddy was inclined to believe him. "I believe you Edd." He said, "But that doesn't mean I can forgive him for what he did in the past. He might have changed, but he hasn't apologized to me."

Edd had found closure but he was now worried about what had happened in the past that he was unaware of, he asked "What happened Eddy?"

Eddy didn't reply at first, getting up and walking closer to Edd, "Why don't you ask him yourself?" The, without warning, he pulled Edd into an unexpected hug. "Don't do anything stupid again. And don't let Kevin hurt you, if he does, I'll fucking murder him."

He pulled away from Edd and quickly disappeared out the door, leaving Edd there in the spiral of his own thoughts, everything cascading around him in a visceral cognitive display. Soon though he was able to collect himself and the free falling feeling of his thoughts ceased as he got a solid grip on the situation.

First of all, Eddy and he had resolved their issue, at least partially and Eddy had shown Edd that he cared, but also he revealed a new issue of Kevin's past. And two, he was incredibly happy and relieved that he hadn't lost his best friend, and that was all that could fill his brain for the rest of the day. Eddy wasn't gone, Ethan hadn't broken him, he had triumphed over the voice again, Edd was on top of the world, and after talking to Eddy a bit back in their room and sorting all the minor details out of their little tiff (receiving many hugs and some unwanted kisses from Ed) he went back to see Kevin and was in such a good mood that he forgot all about the information of Kevin's past.

That night Edd and Kevin had sex again, vanilla and penetrational. Edd was getting used to it and he was glad. He wanted to learn all about it and become comfortable with it. After all, sexual-intercourse was a prominent biological and psychological issue. Edd had never really thought about it before but sexology wasn't such a bad field to study, even in an amateur setting.

"That's just an excuse, right?" Kevin had asked when Edd had explained it to him, making him laugh.

"If you say so, Kevin." And then they fell asleep, Edd feeling cosy, comfortable and secure in Kevin's arms. He curled up and went to sleep.

The next day Edd woke up in Kevin's arms, just like he had wanted the smaller boy to and everything seemed dandy in the world.

* * *

Aww, fluff is nice, isn't it?

Next time: It's opening night and everyone's invited.


	24. Chapter 24

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 24**

Jim watched as Plank ran, now unable to imagine anything other than his naked torso when he saw any smidgen of it's former full detail. Jim wished Plank would adopt a new religious philosophy in which he always had to wear jackets or something. It had become quite the mind plaguing experience and Jim really wished it'd stop. It complicated things a lot more than Jim would have thought it would. Jim was confused about what he wanted, spending your days thinking about Planks broad chest might make that confusion go away for normal people right? Well, not for Jim.

So perhaps it wasn't confusion, he was just so scared. He didn't want to be attracted to Plank because that meant admitting that they could be more than what there was. Jim didn't want their relationship to change, right now it was simple, it made sense and it was mutually beneficial. Jim didn't have to think too hard about how his actions affected Plank and being around him was plain and easy. How would all of that change if Jim admitted that he was attracted to the larger male, how would he be able to cope if once their relationship changed, somehow, things went terribly wrong?

It was that fear that held Jim in a state of repose, unable to move forward and only desperately clinging to the current situation to keep himself from having to deal with what was ahead. He smiled like always, because there was no reason to be unhappy. Everything was the same as always, another sunny day in the world of Jim, because he knew that the world wasn't as bad as people made it out to be, he had seen darkness, but that only made the sun shine brighter, and that's how Jim lived his life. He couldn't be flipping out over every little thing.

Plank disappeared, comfortably for Jim, past the horizon as he ran, his trainer hot on his heels, presumably still yelling things at him to keep him in focus. Jim wasn't sure he liked the man, he was far too forceful and what Jim could only describe as mean. Jim thought he pushed Plank too hard, or rather pushed Plank when he didn't need to be and came across looking like an asshole. Jim could see quite clearly that Plank had been having no trouble running, and even if he couldn't it had only been about five minutes so Jim doubted Plank had already gotten tired, yet Plank's trainer was following him around like a bad smell and barking orders that Planks had already been doing on his own without the other man's help.

In fact, Jim wondered if he even had a purpose anymore, Plank seemed to be able to do the exercising on his own without the guy around, and when he did come to check up, all he really contributed to was some extra noise.

Plank had moved on to his weight lifting and other muscle building exercises. He had his own pseudo-gym out in the field that he used because Plank preferred to be alone when he exercised, he had been okay with Jim watching him though and Jim was sure he'd also be okay if he joined in, but he wouldn't, Jim really didn't enjoy physical activity all that much, following in the footsteps of Edd.

Nat sauntered over next to Jim sometime in the middle of Plank's workout. He commented, "Wow that guy is really working him hard."

"He might look like he is, but I've seen Plank work harder on his own." Jim said in a singsong voice before adding "Hi Nat, how are you?" Seeing as Nat's appearance had come without a greeting.

"Great." Nat replied. "Hey Jim, I wanted to ask you something."

Jim nodded, "Sure."

"Rave has this play that he is performing in, and it's opening night this weekend, I was wondering if you and Plank wanted to come?"

Jim smiled happily. "We'd love to, Nat."

* * *

"So Nazz is in this play thingy." Kevin said lazily as he traced circles on Edd's bare chest.

"Very informative, Kevin." Edd said sarcastically.

"Isn't it?" Kevin said playing along with the joke. "They're playing Rocky Horror."

"I've never actually seen it, is it any good?" Edd asked curiously and Kevin stopped tracing circles suddenly.

"Right, you haven't seen Rocky Horror, of course you haven't."

"You say that as if it is blasphemy that I have not."

Kevin shook his head and resumed his circling. "Well no, but you're gay. It's the gayest musical in existence."

"Then I suppose, as a gay person, I must go see it."

It was cold on the opening night of Nazz's, and when Nat had also invited him, Rave's, play. Edd's normal clothing wasn't quite warm enough so he borrowed a jacket (no doubt worth more than Edd's entire wardrobe) from Kevin, that fit him snugly. It also managed to fit with the rest of his outfit quite nicely, and Edd, liking to look spruce and dapper when he could (and thinking that was hard to do without snorting; Edd didn't really associate himself with being dapper, ever.) But it made him look good, so that made him feel good about himself in return.

Kevin looked equally as good, dressing semi-formal by Edd's request as he quickly found, after dating Kevin for a month that it was appropriate to request certain dress codes during their dates. Kevin looked great in formal clothing, as would be expected from a prince, but he also liked wearing stuff that at least looked casual, though Edd knew it was of a pedigree despite it's appearance, so it was nice he was willing to go against that by Edd's desire. he wore jeans and an expensive t-shirt, with lines of frills running down the torso. Kevin, apparently, was not as cold as Edd seeing as he had more body mass to insulate his temperature, but Edd would have loved it to be paired with a blazer.

The two left together and walked, holding hands in the absence of people as they travelled toward Jim's room. Edd felt rebellious again and indulged himself in a fantasy of being in a secret relationship with a prince and hiding it from everyone. As he smiled to himself at the image, they reached Jim's room to find the two of them, Jim and Plank, were already standing out the front, waiting for them.

Jim was looking very cute, as always, the cold reddened his cheeks and nose while slightly paling the colour of his lips. He was wrapped up in a puffy white jacket, splattered with black artistically with fur lining the rim of it's hood and the hem. It ended just past his knees, far too big for him as many things were though Edd supposed it would serve it's purpose of keeping out the cold.

Plank wore his usual suave and sweeping brown coat complete with pointless buttons and other ornaments to make it look visually appeasing. But unusually, it was buttoned up all the way, hiding any other layers that may lie beneath it.

The quad then walked to the theatre together and walked and talked with each other happily, in giddy anticipation of their friends performance, then Edd had an idea and pulled his phone out. Punching in some letters before hitting send.

_How are you holding up, Eddy? Ed not giving you too much trouble, I hope._

The reply buzzed in his hand before he had the time to put his phone back in his pocket.

_Are you kidding? It's a nightmare._

Edd laughed to himself a bit at that. After Edd had finally found Eddy and they had made amends for any misconceptions they had for each other, their relationship had began to steadily rise again. Eddy was becoming more accustomed to the idea of Edd and Kevin dating, Edd made sure to give him reports on their relationship so that Eddy could feel secure knowing that Edd was safe and it had become a casual conversation topic. Eddy had also expressed his inclinement to a certain Nazz, which Edd had been ecstatic about. It was an unlikely pairing, but Edd wanted Eddy to be happy and Nazz was a nice girl as well from what Edd could make out. If the two of them were to get together, it would make Edd very pleased.

He had an idea and punched it into his phone.

_Guess who I am going to see tonight._

You better take photo's of Nazz in her costume, that will be totally hot. It's so unfair that you get to go and I don't.

Edd didn't know which role Nazz was playing or what the costume she was wearing looked like but he assumed Eddy knew what he was talking about

_Why do you not just bring Ed along, then you can look after him at the play. That way you won't have to endure, what was it you feared? Ed's mum's iron fist of motherly anger?_

Again, Eddy's response was almost instantaneous.

_Why didn't I think of that. Fuck, I am there._

So when they all showed up at the doors of the theatre, there were six instead of four. Edd had greeted Eddy and Ed curtly with small hugs which Ed relished in and Eddy pretended he did not appreciate and for a while nobody really noticed the tension held between Eddy and Kevin. Eventually though, the atmosphere was so thick Edd felt like he might be breathing smoke and he was very glad when they got in and Plank and Jim ended up separating Eddy and Kevin.

Suddenly worried and curious, Edd leaned over to Kevin and asked in a low whisper "What was it that caused such friction between the two of you?"

His back stiffened slightly and he answered "Don't worry, I'll tell you later."

* * *

"Nat! You aren't supposed to be back here." Rave hissed, halfway through turning himself into doctor Frank-n-furter. Luckily, he was still wearing boy clothes but he was foundation ready and halfway through recreating that famous dark eye look, high arching eyebrows and all.

"Why?" Nat purred in that voice he himself knew both completely infuriated and extremely turned Rave on.

Rave growled but before he could say anything, Nat sealed his lips with a kiss. "I want to give you something for luck." He said cupping Rave in his hands and then grinning cat-like as he finished "You'll need to eventually get your clothes off anyway."

Rave quickly looked around, searching for anyone who might have seen, his heart suddenly beating faster in the fear but there was no one in sight. Unfortunately, during the time Rave had taken to look around Nat had managed to pull his pant's down little more than a quarter, revealing his underwear. Nat leaned forward and lightly grazed his teeth over Rave's cock through the thin fabric that held it there causing a wild moan to escape at the sensation.

Rave instantly became flustered and croaked angrily "What are you doing!?"

"Taking revenge" Nat said as he slid two hands in under Rave's underwear and tracing his fingers over the flesh of Rave's ass, before giving it a hard squeeze.

Rave's breathing hitched slightly and he said, "W-what for?" He should have known this was another power game, another issued challenge that Rave had to match or beat.

"For bossing me around back when you were practicing lines." Nat said, continuing his teasing as he continued to mouth and lick Rave's penis, wetting his underwear barrier with Nat's saliva as his hand's kept at their work of kneading Rave's ass.

He laughed a broken laugh as and smile a bit as his lip twitched in nervous pleasure. "You wanted that though." He scoffed suddenly "Didn't realise my punishment for getting a blowjob would be another blowjob."

Nat ignored him as he finally pulled the underwear down to, freeing Rave's dick before he quickly took it into his mouth, the heat immediately feeling great and making rave quiver slightly. "Y-yes." He breathed and lifted his hand's up to rest them in Nat's hair, taking delight in ruining the work he must of put into it with gel and hairspray as he ran his fingers through it, turning it into a mess. Nat didn't seem to really realise though as he had began to bob back and forth at a steady pace, trailing his toungue all over Rave's dick, slicking it up and tasting the musky flavour of Rave's unwashed dick, aged through the day. Nat shouldn't find the taste of Rave's sweat such a turn on, but he did, the smell was also great and if it didn't seem unhygienic, Nat would make sure Rave did clean his dick before Nat sucked him off. Going all the way was different though, Rave would always have to clean there.

Rave groaned satisfactorily as Nat kept at it and leant his back back as the pleasure built energy in his pelvis that seemed to twitch there as pressure built. "I want to fuck your face." Rave said and he was delighted when he felt Nat tap only once on his thigh, a signal for yes they had discussed before if there was ever a time when one couldn't speak (one tap for yes, two for no.)

Rave ran his finger's through Nat's hair one last time then scrunched his fists up and had a firm grip at the back of Nat's head with two tufts of the previously well-kept hair. He hadn't began to use any force yet though so Nat continued at his own pace.

"Gonna make you deepthroat me, okay?" Rave asked and again, he received one tap. Smirking happily, he pulled Nat's head back with the force of his hand's and forced him back down onto his dick as he felt it slid further into Nat's mouth, and he groaned.

It felt great to have power and have Nat completely cave to his desires, and this was meant to be Nat's punishment. Yeah right. Rave pulled Nat back again and forward. He noticed that even with Rave controling the thrusts, Nat thought to use his tongue andhe traced it over every part of Rave's dick physically possible to reach. It made it feel even better with a tentative tongue ardently trying to reach every inch of skin. Rave's toes curled as the pleasure spread, his shoulders rolled and he felt his knees giving way slightly. It felt good, it felt great, but when he had told Nat he was going to fuck his face, he meant it.

He took his cock out of Nat's mouth, making an audible pop as he bent over slightly and pushed Nat toward the wall, wadling slightly with his pants only half of the way down. When Nat's back was finally up against the wall, Rave used his hand to guide his dick back into Nat's mouth and rested his hands on Nat's head as he began to move his hips back and forth, thrusting slowly.

He panted as he thrusted and felt pleasure course through him, fucking Nat's face turned him on too, but he knew he couldn't abuse it. He gave Nat a rest allowing him to catch his breath whenever he needed it which also prolonged the inevitable, allowing Rave's pre-show blowjob to last way longer.

Suddenly though, Nat changed the position of his head, moving it forward so that his mouth was in a straight line with his throat and then Rave felt his dck slid even further in, which Rave had thought impossible and his balls were smacking against Nat's chin. The sound somehow egged him on as he fucked Nat's face, and Nat tightened his lips around him as he did and Rave was a heated mess. Soon he couldn't take it any longer and he came down Nat's throat with a satisfied groan.

He pulled out and fell onto his ass as he panted. "Fuck."

Nat just smirked at him, getting up and wiping his mouth. "You were due on stage five minutes ago." He said with the biggest shit-eating grin Rave had ever seen, and then he was gone and Rave was whispering fuck for a different reason.

* * *

After the mysterious late arrival of both Nat and Rave which Edd was far too perceptive to not make a connection between, the show was finally underway. Rocky Horror, turned out to be a very sensory experience. Rave looked fantastic as the doctor, Edd had an appreciation for the art of drag but that particular style was, in Edd's opinion, rather fantastic. On top of that, though Kevin said his voice was more feminine than Tim Curry but Edd still thought he sung very well and his voice had a certain sweetness to it that gave the lyrics to the songs a nice ring.

Nazz was playing Janet and Edd then knew why Eddy had requested pictures, her outfit that she changed into for the scenes inside the mansion were rather revealing. Eddy was practically drooling all over himself. Edd wasn't sure how Ed felt about the appearance of people or whether he actually had a sexuality or not or whether he'd answer if Edd asked, but he too seemed to be enjoying himself. Nazz sang her song, "Touch-a Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me" with surprising sweetness. Her voice was relatively low and bordering tomboyish but she had hit those high notes perfectly.

By the end of the musical, Edd felt very satisfied, in a strange kind of way and yet, very confused. Edd doubted that the plot was meant to make very much sense but at the same time it was completely satisfying for the spectacle that it was. Rave and Nazz and the rest of the cast had done a splendid job, Edd felt his palms numbing at the strength of his claps.

Kevin pulled Nazz into a warm hug when she finally got off stage saying "You did great." And she seemed happy to be complemented. Edd also told her she was great and Rave too, though he was far more rude about it, saying "Yeah, I know."

After the show, everyone was very talkative and bustling with energy. Edd had multiple conversations with people at the same time about it. He talked with Kevin about the plot and Eddy about Nazz in her costume and how he might be able to "tap that" his main advice being to cease the use of that phrase; talks about puppies and kittens with Ed, who of course had no interesting of talking about anything else regardless of how much more relevant it might be and to Jim about how he had enjoyed the night.

"Okay, seeya tomorrow." Eddy voice said nervously as Nazz split off from the group. The rest of them stood still, watching carefully for Eddy's reaction but he soon turned around with an excited expression on his face. He ran straight to Edd and said "Dude, she said yes!"

Eddy had managed to ask Nazz on a date and she had said yes, Edd was without a doubt very happy about the situation but Eddy was overtly euphoric. He was suddenly filled with energy and began to yell obscene things as he danced around in excitment. Edd giggled to himself a bit at the display.

Jim and Plank were the first to break off from the group, they waved goodbye and Jim gave Edd's legs a hug before they disappeared behind the door. Next was Eddy and Ed.

"Goodbye guys." Edd said. "Eddy, I shall return tomorrow afternoon and we can discuss how your date went."

Eddy smirked proudly "With my charm, it will be a sinch."

Edd laughed a little and replied "Of course, Eddy." Before waving goodbye and moving on. Soon it was just he and Kevin.

The first thing Kevin said when they were alone was "What's the bet Rave and Nat are fucking right now?"

Edd made a sound of mock horror and said "Charming, Kevin."

He smirked devilishly "What, I bet they are."

"I am also certain that they are enjoying their intimate moments as best they can. Just because it is very plausible something is happening doesn't mean we should talk about it."

Kevin whispered "Would you rather we do it instead?"

"I hope you don't mean with them."

"Only if you want to."

Edd rolled his eyes smiling to himself. "Carry me back to the room before a minute has past and we'll see about doing it, just the two of us."

Hearing that, Kevin wasted no time, lifting Edd up and causing a shriek of giggles to escape him as he began to run down the hall with him.

* * *

"Plank?" Jim asked a little nervously as he watched Plank strip to his singlet and underwear.

He turned around and gave Jim a questioning look, his queue to continue. He said "Mind if I sleep in the same bed as you tonight? Just sleep, nothing more."

Plank looked confused at first but ended up nodding and smiling warmly. Was Jim being shy? He thought, that was kinda cute when he admitted it. Plank was willing to go at whatever pace Jim wanted though and nodded as Jim walked up and crawled into Plank's bed first, cozying up with the sheet's before Plank climbed in afterwards, wrapping an arm around the other's waist and holding him close so that they could share each other's body heat.

"G-goodnight Plank."

"Goodnight, Jim."

* * *

Nat cackled. "I had to get you back for what you did to my throat."

Rave seethed "I don't care, this is worse."

"How is it worse? I had to go buy myself a packet of butter menthols and everything."

"I won't be able to walk tomorrow, I think that's worse." Rave said. "No, I'll be in a wheelchair. I'll become a paraplegic because you fucked me so hard, then whenever I go to the shops I'll swear at obnoxious white girls who don't immediately get out of my way."

"You'll get wheelchair privilege, isn't that a good thing?"

"Fuck you, Goldberg. Don't make jokes about serious things like that."

"Didn't you just do that?"

Rave grumbled, "I don't care, go to sleep."

Nat chuckled but listened as he pulled Rave closer, to rest his head on Nat's chest, making Rave's feet hang far below Nat's because he was taller, but it was still comfortable. They fell asleep that way, breathing together as unconsciousness claimed them.


	25. Chapter 25

**The Prestigious and Highly Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 25**

Chapter warning: Contains physical abuse.

* * *

"How'd it go, Eddy?" Edd asked seeing his shorter friend entered, shutting the door behind him and pulling the scarf off of his neck, no longer needed in the heating of their room.

"Oh you're back Double d." He stated absent mindedly, then processing what Edd had asked, a lovesick smile spread across his face and he said "Great."

"Fifty points to gryffindor, Eddy!" Ed clapped happily and laughed.

Edd smiled, "I agree, it seems you did a good job, Eddy."

"Of course." Eddy replied as he puffed out his chest.

Edd warned, "But be careful Eddy. Relationships take hard work, you mustn't slack off now or at any time."

"Yeah, yeah." Eddy replied, dismissing Edd's comment with a flippant flick of his wrist. "Let's just have a Mortal Kombat marathon to celebrate."

Eddy, of course, was the best at the game he had decided the three of them must play. But Edd had figured out some techniques to the game. It involved a certain amount of skill and as Edd and Ed tried numerous times to beat Eddy, their skills improved. But at the end of the night, Eddy had still ended up on top, like he knew he'd be when he picked his favorite game that neither of the other two had played before.

The next day was school again and Edd was adamant on catching up with his school work, which he managed to do quite easily when he kept away from Kevin and only chatted idly in his room with Eddy and Ed. He managed to get ahead in all of his classes again within three weeks and with the surplus of time he had accumulated, he knew he could then resume spending a lot of time with his friends.

He was able to spend time with Kevin again and he even visited Rave and Nat and asked about things like what Rave planned to do with his talent and stuff. Edd found that Rave was easier to get along with when you knew him a little better. He was very bitter and sarcasm seemed to be one of his vital organs, but he was smart and wise in his own strange way. Edd also thought he seemed to care more than he let on but he didn't really trust his perceptions of people enough for him to know if that were really true.

He had also helped guide Eddy and Nazz's relationship into what he thought was the right direction. Eddy was the kind of guy Edd suspected might do something like make farting noises with his hand and underarm to impress a girl, and Edd knew he needed some simple advice to get through. But it seemed Eddy was at least able to feign a fraction of maturity and hold a conversation quite well. Edd was pleased.

He was also able to help Kevin, Ed and Jim with their homework, though Eddy had unsurprisingly disappeared. It made him remember all over again about the standoffish nature the two had toward each other, Edd still hadn't found out what it was that had them so angry at each other and he was thinking about it through the entire study session. He decided to ask again when Kevin was leaving, grabbing his hand lightly to indicate he had something to say and waiting for Kevin to turn around and pay attention.

"What is it that you and Eddy have done to hate each other so?" He asked quietly. Kevin didn't reply immediately and for a moment Edd thought maybe he hadn't said anything at all but Kevin eventually replied, a frustrated expression on his face.

"I didn't do anything." He said, his voice wavering. Edd might not be too perceptive, but he could spot a lie when he saw one.

It was Edd's turn to look frustrated. "Then why do you not say hello to him?" He snapped and Kevin suddenly looked shocked. Edd had been so obedient and willing that Kevin had forgotten that Edd wouldn't actually do anything Kevin wanted. The desire to punish swirled in Kevin's head but they were soon overpowered by Pantene's words echoing _It has to be an illusion of power, you can't really control Edd._

Kevin swallowed and said "It's nothing, just drop it Edd."

"And if I do not want to?" He was tired of Kevin keeping things from him. Did Edd not deserve to know, being Kevin's boyfriend? Was that not enough for the redhead to explain a few things to him?

"Drop it." Kevin's voice commanded, a warning clear in his tone, and it frightened Edd, the shock and fear obvious on his face as he gasped and stepped back, almost thinking Kevin might hurt him or something along those lines.

Seeing the reaction Edd had, Kevin coiled and withdrew, like a turtle about to get attacked and grumbled as he stalked away, leaving Edd very shocked, confused but mainly concerned on his front door.

* * *

The day after Kevin called and shifted his appointment with Pantene to that day, and before he knew it he was being driven to her office and was feeling powerful and calm in the presence of his servants.

He did not have to wait at all in reception before he was let in to Pantene's office, feeling somehow more secure at the sight of her mug of coffee, her brown hair and the leather couch he always sat on. When she saw him her face was neutral but concern was easy to pick up on, even on people trying to hide it (or maybe she wasn't) but Kevin was glad.

He sank into the couch with a heavy sigh and a thudding sound and sat with his shoulders hunched and his arms close to his body. If his facial expression and the phone call weren't an obvious indication that Kevin was upset, his body language certainly was.

She spoke softly and carefully, not wanting to press any buttons that might set Kevin off, whatever Kevin was worried about, they had to avoid having any kind of dramatic display of Kevin's anger. She'd get sacked by the kind if she couldn't keep Kevin in check but more than that she wanted him to be happy and she didn't want him to harm himself more than he already had.

She asked, "You want to talk about it?"

Kevin was surprised, he expected her to ask something directly implying he should speak about it and avoid wasting her time. But she didn't. She wanted to know if he was comfortable speaking about it and judging from the expression on her face she meant it.

He felt slightly off put but swallow and replied "Yeah."

She nodded without a word and waited. Kevin didn't say anything at first really, she didn't push him though, just took some sips of her coffee every now and then until eventually Kevin opened his mouth and spoke.

"I've been getting agitated recently." He said, clutching his hands together tightly.

Pantene said plainly, "Go on."

Kevin grunted uncomfortably as he thought of how to explain himself but went on anyway. "I've been remembering things." He paused, "Things I did when I was younger."

"What things?" Pantene finally pressed and it somehow made going on easier for Kevin. He realised that she could read him well and then felt slightly naked but soldiered on.

"I'm remembering things I did in the past." Things with Eddy.

"_Hey, if it isn't the prince himself. Kevin would you like to purchase some high-quality action figures?" A fourteen year old Eddy had asked with Ed standing next to him. "They're one of a kind."_

Kevin stared at the figures looking slightly off as they stood in their all plastic glory, holding guns or swords and in some kind of action pose. Kevin supposed if they were one of a kind, a prince should own them and he was about to buy one but Nat looked at the figures and scoffed. "Those are fake as, they're meant to be Alcaster figurines, I know, my dad played the main character in that movie."

Kevin looked at his then boyfriend and asked "Really?"

"Yep, my dads a famous actor, I know real merchandise when I see it."

This Eddy boy had lied to him. Kevin was feeling high-strung because of an argument he had with his father about baseball and that made his temper quick to anger. His fists clenched at his sides and he glowered at the two Ed's. He snarled, "You dare try and sell the prince fake shit!?"

Eddy seemed taken aback and generally shocked, his eyes narrowed and he seethed at him. "Why would you call my merch fake? You think just because you're a prince you can boss people around?"

Kevin stepped forward and leaned in, bringing his face close to Eddy's "That's exactly what I think."

Eddy growled, he knew what Kevin was like, walking around Alter Waters like he owned the place with his right hand fuck-buddy man, Nat, by his side. He was abusive and a bully and didn't deserve the rights he had in Eddy's opinion. Sure everyone at Alter Waters had privilege but none abused it as much as Kevin did. Eddy's dad made him work if he wanted money and told Eddy "You have to work if you want to get something otherwise you'll never be as rich as your old man." Ever since Eddy had been devising ways to make money, his own money that he did something for. Kevin just got to through his fathers around like he already owned it.

Eddy spat in Kevin's face. It had been a sort of instinctive reaction that he immediately regretted later, especially when he saw the look on Kevin's face. He lifted a hand up and wiped the saliva off, his cheeks flaring red and his brow set in deep creases of anger. He lunged forward and lifted Eddy up by the collar of his shirt with one hand and knocked all of the figures off of the table with the other, kicking the entire table over with his foot as he did.

The memory of his father beating him for wearing his baseball cap in public flooded his mind and it was all he could think of as it filled him with rage. The bruises that run up his arm, hidden behind his jacket ached in the memory as did the bruises on his torso and the cuts on his legs. Kevin's father deliberately avoided hitting Kevin in the face so that any injuries Kevin had could be covered up, Kevin wouldn't be so courteous.

Soon the red veil had covered his eyes and all he could feel was pain and hurt and anger. Why would his own father hit him? Why him a prince, and his fathers son. Weren't dads meant to care about their children? Shouldn't Kevin be hugged, not beaten? Why was nobody else hurting like he was? Why weren't they all suffering? It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair.

Kevin stopped the retelling of his story there, looking into Pantene's eyes which were holding off whatever internal reaction she was having to the story so far. He said, "From there I can't remember what happened." He said pitifully. "So the rest of it is what Nat told me had happened."

_Nat made a sound of horror when he saw the first fist fly, Eddy made a grunt of pain as he was knocked to the ground. Ed made a gasping noise and yelled "Someone help Eddy!"_

Nat wanted to help but his muscles had locked in their position and all he could do was watch as an innocent boy was beaten in front of him. Eddy had managed to get up and rubbed his cheek, where a circular red mark had appeared and making an "ugh" sound.

He looked dazed by the punch and looked around some but before he could get his bearings, Kevin had grabbed him by the tufts of his hair and was lifting him up off of the floor forcing his shimmering eyes to look into Kevin's own, full of rage.

Eddy looked suddenly scared and raised his arms to try and push Kevin away from him, but Kevin was taller and larger than Eddy and he was also more muscular so his attempts were in vein. Another fist connected right on his nose sending a shrieking agony all across his face. He screamed and brought his hands up to catch the blood that came gushing forth.

Kevin punch him again, not caring that Eddy's hands were their and causing pain to run over the back of his hand where he had been struck. He began to writhe and struggle with all his might to get away but Kevin was just too strong. He looked around pleading for help with his eyes when they connected with others' but nobody did anything. Nobody except Ed who was frantically running around and trying to get someone to help.

Another punch came and Eddy and pain exploded behind his right eye as he squeezed it shut. He heard Ed yell "I'll save you Eddy!" And saw the tall boy run screaming a battle cry, out of his open eye. Ed got close but Kevin just used his free arm to knock him off easily, Ed fell to the floor with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

Kevin changed the target of his attacks to Eddy's stomach, landing a solid punch there and making Eddy keel over in pain as he coughed roughly. "You'll" He heard Kevin's voice rumble as he punched again. "Learn" He lifted Eddy up by his hair again and slammed him back into the wall causing another cough and more pain. "Your" This time it was a knee to the stomach. "Place" Another punch to the side of the face, forcing it to one side in a whiplash motion. "Now."

Kevin finished and let Eddy drop to the ground like a sack of potatoes as he panted their. Nobody moved, some were too shocked to, some were too scared to, some didn't want to ruin their families relationship with the royal one. Everyone stood in shock and horror and even more horrific to Nat was the knowledge that some stood in awe or aspiration.

All Nat could do to amend for not being able to act, for being scared was walked up and say gently to Ed "Take Eddy to the nurse, I'll get rid of Kevin."

Ed nodded and scurried toward the crumpled body mass on all four as Nat taped Kevin on the shoulder. As soon as the other boy turned around, Nat punched him and ran. He knew that he didn't have the physical strength to pull Kevin away so getting the other boy to chase him was the next quickest way to get rid of him, so he did.

Pantene sipped her coffee thoughtfully which had long since been weird and more became background information as Kevin watched her react to his story. She held herself together carefully, choosing the words carefully she said. "These psychotic fits of rage? Do you still get them."

Kevin was relieved that the question was not probing and unjudging, he answered "No, after that particular case Nat convinced me to go to anger management, it worked. I haven't had one since I finished the course."

Pantene nodded, "And you say you remembered this? Are we talking just remembering some unpleasant memories or flashbacks?"

"Flashbacks." Kevin said solemnly. "I relived the whole thing again."

Pantene nodded. "So is there anything you think is happening now that might have reminded you of what happened back then. Or perhaps, has your power been taken away from you?"

"No-" Kevin began but then he remembered. "Yes."

"How so?"

"Edd, my new boyfriend was friends with Eddy before I met him." Kevin explained and Pantene made an "ah" sound of realisation.

"That would complicate things." She said. "Now, how has your power been taken away from you?"

"I think I feel like my decision to avoid Eddy has been taken away from me because Edd is friends with him. Edd invited him out with us a few weeks back."

"Was it just the two of you?"

"No there were more, but he was so close and every time I saw him I just kept getting flashbacks and it made me angry but I couldn't do nothing because Edd was there and then he spent the next three weeks with the asshole. And I know it was because Edd wanted to catch up with his studies and Eddy is his roommate but I couldn't stop thinking about it and it made me more angry and today I snapped at him and he looked so fucking scared and I felt horrible but I was still angry so all I could think of doing was coming here."

Kevin vomited the words out with surprising speed and very little grammar or annunciation but at least he was telling someone and having retold the story himself, it being his own decision to relive the moment made the flashbacks a little less scary as well.

"Do you think you might be afraid of having your anger issues return?"

The question was simple, but cut through Kevin like a knife, the thought was suddenly a thorn in his side but it was true. He was afraid that he'd get really angry again, afraid that he'd lose control and hurt Edd. He didn't want that, he didn't want Edd, the boy who had walked into his life and somehow made it so much better, he'd never let that go. Ever.

"I am." He said and then finished determinedly "That's why I am here."

"That's great." Pantene smiled. "You identified a problem and came here of your own accord to fix it." She paused and gave a half smile. "Do you feel powerful, Kevin?"

He blinked, "Why would I?"

"Because you are changing your life for the better and it was all you're doing. Your choice to first come here and your choice to come here now again. That's control over yourself Kevin, you did this even though it might be easier to head in another direction."

The corners of Kevin's mouth began to lift as she continued "More so, Kevin. I have only been asking questions today, you gave me all the answers."

Kevin grinned wide and toothy now, his whole body surging with energy. "I feel powerful." He said happily.

She raised her eyebrows at him "And you didn't have to sleep with or hurt anyone."

* * *

Eventually it was the final exams for Edd's eleventh highschool year. The year had passed faster than he had expected. He had been studying hard the weeks before and felt ready and raring to go to the exams, which he did and felt confident again about passing. As before Jim and the others had studied with him, this time Nat brought in Rave and Kevin had suddenly decided he didn't care about being around Eddy anymore so he came as well. Edd was sure they would all pass based off their understanding of what they had covered in their study group. Rave was particularly sharp and didn't need any prompting from Edd to get on by himself, using the group really only as a reference point so Edd wouldn't be surprised if his scores were really high.

Everything was good in the world except for the fact that it was the return home holidays soon and Edd's mother, finding the number that he had left her on the fridge to contact him had sent him a message telling him that his parents wouldn't be able to make it home at all over the period. Not even at Christmas.

* * *

So the first school year is over and guess what. There is still another year to cover before AW will end XD But that year is actually going to go past at a much quicker pace. My professional estimate is that AW will continue on for another 15-20 chapters though.

Alcaster is something I made up for the sake of the scenario, it isn't actually a real thing.

Next time: "If we can't go home, where will we go?" "Welcome to my castle, Edd."


	26. Chapter 26

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 26**

Might want a dictionary nearby for this chapter XD

* * *

Plank wasn't really expecting any visitors for a while longer. Jim had psychology to finish and Nat was off with Rave somewhere, so when there was a knock on the door, he was surprised. Opening it to find Kevin standing there surprised him further but he made a grunt and stepped aside indicating Kevin come in regardless.

"Hey." He said and Plank didn't reply because, well he didn't have to, did he? "I wanna ask you something." Kevin continued, Plank nodded. "Do you mind taking Jim home with you these holidays?"

Plank frowned at Kevin, he would be glad to, but why was Kevin asking? "Why?" He verbalized his concern.

"Edd got a text from his mum." Kevin explained. "Apparently she won't be home for Christmas and the rest of the holidays. He was feeling pretty down about it so I was thinking about bringing him with me to my house but Jim can't go home alone so I was hoping you'd want him to come over."

Of course Plank wanted Jim over. He never wanted Jim to be anywhere but by his side, and Kevin was now giving Plank an excuse to do it without it being entirely for personal reasons. He'd hate to put Jim on the spot and ask him then make the smaller boy feel uncomfortable. This would be the perfect chance though, so he was more than happy to comply.

"I'll invite him." Plank said and Kevin looked relieved and happy.

"Thanks man." He said clapping Plank on the shoulder. "You're a great dude."

Plank blinked as Kevin left but didn't worry about it for too long. Jim would come back soon and then he'd be able to tell him the good news, well of course Plank would report it like it was neutral news but it was good news.

* * *

"Hey Edd." Kevin called as he walked into the other boys room, being let in by Ed. Kevin spared a glance at Eddy who was sitting on the bed opposite from Edd and felt a little guilty. He reminded himself that he had to make amends with Eddy sometime for what he did to him. Not for Edd, but because Kevin had recognized that he had genuinely made a mistake and he wanted to fix it. But he had more important things to deal with right now and Eddy didn't look like he was about to do anything about Kevin coming into the room so he headed straight for Edd.

"Yes, Kevin?" Edd asked.

"What would you say if I told you I got you an early Christmas present?" Kevin asked a smirk dialing across his face.

Edd frowned. "I'd tell you you need to stop spending money on me for no reason."

This time Kevin frowned, "It's not no reason." He said, "And I don't have to spend any money."

"Go on."

"Do you want to spend your holidays at my place?"

That sentence peaked the attention of everyone else in the room. Ed made a loud gasp and held his hands close to his face in giddy anticipation, Eddy also sat up and began paying closer attention to what was happening, but none said anything. Edd put down his pen and turn around on his chair so that his entire body was facing Kevin and asked, "Why?"

"Well because you said your parents wouldn't be home and also." Kevin looked into Edd's eyes with a strange intensity that sent shivers down his spine. "Why shouldn't I invite my boyfriend to my house?"

The use of the word "boyfriend" also struck a chord with everyone in the room. Ed made a a swallowed squealing sound, sucking in air instead of exhaling it, Eddy grumbled and turned away again and Edd's heart clenched a bit.

"What about Jim?"

"Already sorted" Kevin said with a proud grin. "He'll spend the time with Plank."

Edd would usually be opposed to the idea of being separated from Jim for any elongated period of time but if it was Plank, Edd was okay with it. Plank cared deeply for Jim and Edd trusted Plank to keep him safe.

_He'd do a better job than you._

Luckily, Edd had gotten used to the voice randomly popping up every now and then, he also found that if he ignored it, it didn't show it's face for long. Edd's mind quickly returned to the situation at hand as his eyes met Kevin's which were staring at him expectantly.

Edd said. "Very well. I shall accompany you to your home."

Kevin smiled. "Great." He leaned in and kissed Edd on the lips and said "You're gonna love it." Before turning around and leaving Edd in a comatose state of pure shock, wide eyed and open mouthed as he watched the door shut and then slowly turned his head toward Eddy who shared his expression and Ed who seemed to be enjoying the sight as he gave a series of low giggles.

"I need eye bleach." Eddy commented.

"Did that really just happen?" Edd asked, "In front of everyone?"

"You and Kevin are adorbed Double d!" Ed said "Like a doggy and a kitty."

"The word you are searching for is likely "adorable", Ed. But that is a surprisingly well fit analogy for us." Edd said and looked at the floor thoughtfully to ponder why it was he cared so much that Kevin had showed affection in public. It was not as if he had stripped Edd of his clothes and Ravished him under the light of day in front of his two roommates. It was just a kiss, a simple, innocent kiss. Why should Edd care if they saw, Ed certainly didn't seem to mind and Eddy's shock was almost guaranteed to be some form of mock action to cover his actual feelings with a thick layer of masculinity. Edd wasn't worried about their reactions, it was his own. Was he ashamed?

_You know he won't keep you. You know he'll eventually toss you aside. You're just covering your bases, if you don't commit, it won't sting so much when he leaves._

The voice had come back again. Edd frowned, it was unusual but not something he really had to worry about, the voice had once said it's frequency of appearance was directly related to Edd's stress levels so staying calm was the easiest way out of this situation. Besides that what it was saying was preposterous. Edd was not bound by some kind of naivety that assumed Kevin would stay with him forever and they'd go off and get married and have kids. Edd also wasn't cynical enough to think their relationship was doomed to fail. He considered himself a realist, rational. Edd was prepared for Kevin to eventually leave him but he didn't think it would be so catastrophic that he needed to start putting armor on now to avoid it. The voice was wrong.

So Edd spent the rest of the day voice free as he packed to leave for Kevin's house the day after the next.

Jim had found Edd and spoken with him about his excitement of seeing Plank's house somewhere during the next day. Edd was glad to find that the arrangements fit well with Jim and cursed himself for not thinking to check with him first after realising the possibility that the situation was a dire worse. But at that moment, things were fine, so Edd did not dwell on the past.

Saying goodbye to Jim was especially difficult, it was the first time Edd had ever had to actually say goodbye in the sense that they would be physically apart for over six weeks. They had two completely different directions to head in so Edd said goodbye to Jim in the courtyard to Alter Waters.

"Stay safe, Jim. If you need anything use my number and I shall assist you as best I can." Edd sad as he held the smaller boy close to him.

"Don't worry Edd, I'm not going to get run over or anything." Jim said into Edd's stomach, the place where his face was forced by Edd's hug.

"Oh dear! I did not foresee that possible problem, make sure you look both ways before crossing the street!" Edd said in mock horror. Jim giggled and Edd pat his head.

They stepped away, and spared one last glance before Jim turned away and run to catch up with Plank and walk by his side before they both climbed into a limo and it drove away, whipping dust up behind it slightly as it drove away and Jim with it. Edd sighed.

"He's your brother, not your son." Kevin said behind him, making Edd jump a bit but he soon relaxed as Kevin's arms wrapped around him from behind and his chin rested on Edd's shoulders.

Edd lifted a hand to caress the side of Kevin's face and said "I know, but I am still worried. We had to raise each other remember, he might as well be my son."

"I get it." Kevin said. "But you have to let him go sometime. He's not going to stay by your side forever."

Edd laughed "I suppose that is what you will tell me when we have kids of our own?" Edd asked, then he panicked. He had meant it as a joke but he hoped Kevin hadn't taken it as any kind of promised commitment, Edd wouldn't want that.

_What'd I tell ya Edd? You can fight me all you like, but you know I'm right._

"The exact same" Kevin joked and it was much to Edd's comfort and relief. "Now come on" he said smacking Edd in the ass and making him gasp. "Let's go."

Kevin lead Edd, to his surprise, back into the Academy. Edd frowned, slightly confused but followed him anyway, through the familiar halls as they took the two out through the other end and into a field with a narrow strip of flat ground running through it. That was when Edd spotted it and his jaw dropped.

"You have a private jet!?" He said, gobsmacked.

Kevin grinned like a child over-proud of the mess he had just made of his sisters bedroom. "Yep." He said.

Edd climbed into the aircraft and buckled up his seat next to Kevin's. The engines whirled and soon the jet began to move, forward, gain speed then catch air and begin to lift, then they were drifting off in the sky.

When Edd and Kevin landed Edd was feeling slightly restless and wanted to get up and move around. The aircraft had been small and cramped and Edd had felt slightly claustrophobic inside of it so it was great to be able to travel on his own to feet. The sight that awaited him, however was far more breathtaking than the jet had been.

It had to be ten meters tall. Ten meters of bricks and moss and hedge, surrounded by an expanse of either lawn or flower beds that grew roses and tulips and orchids. There was a pond to the far right and a large tree stood shadowing it. There were footpaths leading through the expensive garden displays and surrounding area's of woodland similar to that surrounding the Academy.

Inside, as Kevin lead him in through the front gate, still there from the time the castle might actually need be used as a castle rather than a lavish estate with too many rooms than it fit and far too many suits of armor there for "decorational" purposes, only adding to the rich cliche air the place had to it; the carpets and furniture were modern but they spared no expense in decorating the halls and walls in anything they could find. Hardly a bare inch of thee white plastered walls could be seen. The castle was obviously maintained more to impress guests than it was meant to be enjoyed by the people staying in it. Edd supposed, much like the Hotel de Crillon, that it was designed to ward off any would be "common folk" that might wander in stray one night, hopefully intimidated by the putridly painted portraits of old wealth or battle nonpareil Edd was sure were really charlatans of their own times; or the menacing sight of floors that had actually been cleaned (Edd was also sure the rich assumed the poor to be uncivilized, untidy people afraid of persnickety and fastidious cleanliness) or the high ceilings that would pin rats down in their fears of the open space or by the shine of the curtains golden tassels or by the glistening chandelier; or by the stone of the floor, more expensive even in it's rudimentariness, than the truanter for sure. But when Edd put all of his resent away, it was quite a nice, clean, pleasantly smelling place to be in, and he could traverse the building further without any more verbose soliloquy to render it's worth in sarcastic, internal drawl.

Edd met some housekeepers, equal parts maids and butlers, all fairly young despite what the stories had you think about the butlers being old, and they all seemed fairly easy to get along with. Some of the younger butlers were rather cute too, not that Edd would ever say that with Kevin around. Edd also got the chance to meet Kevin's bodyguards. Apparently, he did not need them to follow him around inside the academy because the security was already so tight there, but one had accompanied them in the Jet and there were several lurking in the shadows now.

"Wait, what about when we went to Paris?" Edd had asked, in reference to the body guards presence.

"They were there, you just didn't notice them, which meant they were doing their job. The public don't actually know what I look like yet, due to some tweaking my dad did to keep my face hidden, so threats really only lie within the noble families that know my identity." Kevin explained.

"Do you think any of the families will out you to the public?" Edd asked, a little concerned.

"Well I guess it's possible." Kevin said. "But unless someone got a photo of me in the castle or with my dad, it would be hard to prove, my dad could easily deny it and get them sued for fraud."

Edd nodded, that made sense. Edd doubted he'd have any problems with it in the future then, nothing to worry about.

_You're a sinister little thing aren't you?_

"Kevin, can I see your room?" Edd asked, ignoring the voice.

_You know, it's great that you're worrying about Jim, it makes it so much easier for me to get out._

"Sure," Kevin replied and he lead the smaller boy with him, through some hallways and up some stairs before they reached Kevin's room. Kevin was glad they had been able to hide from his dad, but was almost certain that he wouldn't be able to keep it up the entire time, depending on how busy the king's busy schedule was. But if he believed Kevin's lie about Edd being from aristocracy, then he would definitely try to be civil in order to keep up relations, so Kevin didn't have to worry about him scaring Edd or anything.

They soon reached Kevin's room and Edd looked around in awe. He had a canopy bed! Edd was positively giddy about that and couldn't hide his excitement as he ran over and traced his fingers of the fabric that had been embroidered with patterns of flowers and such. Edd turned and made as sly smile at Kevin. "Very masculine." He commented and Kevin found himself laughing despite himself.

Edd continued examining the room and when he had finished and returned Kevin gave him a look asking "Are you done" and Edd nodded in response. "Welcome to my castle, Edd." He said and he leaned forward and kissed Edd on the lips.

Edd kissed back and felt his first wave of arousal flow over him softly waking him up and preparing him for the activity that Kevin obviously had planned ahead. Kevin pulled away and asked, "Hey, can we try something a little different, today?"

Edd nodded. "Of course, just as long as it isn't erotic-asphyxiation."

Kevin chuckled low in his throat. "No," he said. "I want to try more bondage stuff."

"Ever the multifarious cryptographer, Kevin. Do you mind explaining to me, what "stuff?"

Kevin smirked. "I love it when you're sassy." He said, then continued. "Kinbaku, and maybe some gagging and blindfolding."

Edd had gotten used to the simple arm restraints Kevin had used on him so he had no problem with the blindfolding and gagging part, but he was unsure what kinbaku was. Edd did know a lot, but he had never put it on his goals list to research what he assumed were abstract sex techniques. He supposed that's why Kevin did it.

"What is kinbaku?" Edd asked.

"It's Japanese for "tight binding." He explained. "I'll get some hemp rope and tie you up using some patterns and shit."

Edd gave him an incredulous look, Kevin continued. "It's not gonna hurt, I promise and I really don't know how to explain it."

Edd nodded, "Okay, I trust you."

Kevin looked giddy as he hopped up and disappeared into a door next to his bed, Edd thought it lead to a walk-in closet. He came back with some rope in his hands and a smaller, shiny black piece of fabric in his hands. He said "I don't think we should use a gag actually. You need to be able to say the safeword, just in case you panic."

Edd felt his chest flutter with the knowledge that Kevin was always looking out for him, especially when it was with this subject that Kevin could easily take Edd advantage of in. Edd knew little of this kinbaku practice and Kevin was looking out for him, Edd was right to trust him. "Thank you, Kevin." He said.

Kevin smiled "No problem... now." He reached a hand forward to trace it slowly up Edd's neck then across his jawline "I want you to listen carefully and do exactly as I say."

Edd shivered at how seductive Kevin's tone was and the feeling of his light touch traveling over his skin, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. His heart pounded once, hard; he swallowed and answered, "Yes," in a soft whisper.

"Then stay still." Kevin ordered as he reached under Edd and pulled his jumper up over his head, knocking Edd's hat off with it and tousling the boys hair a bit. Edd made no move, as Kevin had instructed and it filled Kevin with smug glee.

"Good boy." he said as he slid his hands underneath Edd's shirt and lifted that up over his head too, brushing over Edd's nipples as he did and the soft skin on his chest. Still Edd did nothing. Kevin gripped Edd's crotch and squeezed hard, Edd yelped in surprise but didn't object in anyway, there was no use of the safeword and judging by the turn of glassy eyes, reddened skin and parted lips to support heavy breathing, it had turned him on too. Kevin was please and pulled Edd's pant's down in a swift motion and then his underwear so that he could see, for the first time, Edd's flaccid penis.  
It was cute and small and the foreskin had rolled over the head, hiding it from view. Kevin got on his knees and took the opportunity to fit Edd's entire dick and balls into his mouth at the same time, as he rolled them around in his mouth a bit before spitting them out, covered in his saliva as it slowly dripped to the floor. He got up again and said "Now, don't get hard."

"Kevin you can hardly expect me to-"

"If you can't follow my orders," Kevin;s voice started off stern as he interrupted Edd but soon flattened out to a mischievous lilt. "I guess I'll just have to punish you for it."

He didn't give Edd the chance to answer as he leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips, pressing his tongue inside as it found dominance easily. Kevin pulled away and Edd panted. "Now then." Kevin said retrieving the rope from the floor, then his tone and facial expression suddenly changed as he asked seriously "Just making sure you're okay with all of this?"

Edd smiled rascally. "I am more than okay with it, Kevin." And Kevin didn't need any more incentive to continue.

He slid a hand along Edd's inner thigh, brushing his fingertips past Edd's balls and using his hand to push them away to make room. With his other hand, he reached around Edd's thigh and handed the rope to his previously placed hand in between his thighs and grabbed the rope, pulled it through 's balls fell back into place and were stimulated by the frictional slide of the rope. Edd gasped and swallowed hard.

The hemp rope was thin so Kevin looped it around a second time, pulling it tight before he tied it off. He then brought the rope down Edd's thigh, swirling it around the edge of his leg until it reached his ankle where he looped it around once. "Legs together." He instructed and Edd listened obediently before Kevin looped the rope around both of his ankles, binding them together and then around his right once more, before trailing the rope back up his leg and around the inner thigh there to make the pattern symmetrical.

Kevin asked, "How does it feel?"

"It is tight." Edd responded, "But I do not think it will cut off the blood circulation, so I am okay."

Kevin scoffed, of course that would be what Edd would worry about, not that fact that it was now very difficult for Edd to run away if he wanted to. Kevin quickly forgot however as he stung his tongue out and in between Edd's thigh's, now placed snugly together as he trailed up, leaving a wet trail in his wake and causing Edd to make a gurgling grunt of discomfort and pleasure. When he reached Edd's balls he licked up the middle of them and over Edd's cock, still flaccid.

Kevin laughed, "Looks like you're really obedient. Still soft, huh?" He said, cupping Edd again in his hands.

"I can assure you it was not because of any incredible will power, I just don't get turned on by ropes as much as you seem to." A small smile spread across his lips as he looked down at Kevin. Yep, sassy Edd was the best.

Kevin continue his licking up Edd's body and stopped to suck and lick at Edd's nipples, finally eliciting those moans that Kevin loved hearing. He said "Edd, I want you to be as loud as you need to. We are in my castle, no one will hear you. Besides...it turns me on."

Edd nodded and Kevin continued. He grabbed another piece of rope and slung it around Edd's shoulder, passing it diagonally across Edd's chest, down and circling it around his waist and instructing "Open your thighs" He looped it under again, back up and following the v of his torso, behind his back, and back down the other sides' v to complete the pattern. With another piece of rope, he tied to strait loops around Edd's chest, making diamond shaped boxes bordering the space of pectoral muscle Edd's nipples were placed on. Eyes drawn to that area again he bent down and stimulated them with his mouth again.

"Turn around." Kevin commanded and Edd did, Kevin grabbed his wrists and bound them together behind his back before gently pulling Edd back and lifting him up to take him over to the bed before placing him down on it, tummy side down.

"Okay?" Kevin asked and Edd said "Yes."

"Okay then, this is the final touch." Kevin said placing the blindfold over Edd's eyes and tying it behind his head. "Without sight you'll be forced to focus on your other senses." Kevin said. "If you commit to it, I'm sure it will make the feeling of sex all the more better."

"Okay." Edd replied.

Kevin gripped Edd's ass cheeks in his hands and squeezed them, relishing in the feeling of their perkiness and examining in awe at the light smoothness of his skin. During the daytime, it was even more obvious that Edd's skin was flawless, he wondered what the guy did to keep himself so blemish free, did he bath in the elixir of youth or something? Like did he have some kind of twenty step skin regimen that kept him as smooth as a babies bottom?

Kevin didn't dwell on it for long as he stretched Edd's cheeks open, revealing his entrance, pink and hairless. He leaned forward and licked a strip from the tip of Edd's scrotum down the perineum and over the hole making Edd gasp and make further mewling noises into a pillow he had just grabbed for himself.

Kevin reached around and threw the pillow away saying "I want to hear."

There wasn't much else Edd could do so he listened to Kevin and didn't hold back his moans of pleasure. Kevin licked Edd's hole again causing more grunts as he prepped the boy. His hands slid up and down Edd's leg, sometimes hooking a finger or two in the ropes or squeezing Edd's ass again or reaching around the front to softly brush over Edd's balls or his now erect penis' head. Edd moaned, without any restrictions of the zeal in his tone and it sent good vibrations straight to Kevin's cock. As his tongue squeezed it's way through the tight ring of muscle, Edd let out another emancipated groan of pleasure, now louder and more desperate sounding than they had been before. Kevin loved it.

He twisted his tongue around, opening Edd up slightly and pulled his tongue out likking over it again and doing another full strip, scrotum, perineum, hole. Kevin leaned forward and pressed his fingers on Edd's lips, trailing them across and pulling one down before releasing it to return with a drip like sound. Kevin said, "I'm going to need some lubrication." Before pushing his fingers inside Edd's mouth. His other hand rested on Edd's cock, palming the head with a rough hand and feeling Edd's breath hot over his fingers as the smaller boys tongue danced over them, flicking in between the two digits in his mouth and slicking them up with saliva.

Kevin was getting harder with the sensation of Edd sucking his fingers, his head turned sideways and resting on the bed as his ass stuck up in the air and his arms were bound behind his back. Kevin had complete control, Edd would do whatever he told him too, that was what he loved, that was the kind of thing that made him purr low in his throat like a tiger.

Edd felt Kevin's hardness pressing against his ass and felt himself flush and turn on further by the prospect of having that inside of him again. He raised his ass higher in the air and rubbed it against Kevin's cock as he sucked on Kevin fingers. Kevin hissed in pleasure as he pulled his fingers out of Edd's mouth and said "Eager, are you?" Then, without needing an answer, he pushed both finger's inside Edd making him moan with fervency.

He knew instantly where to find Edd's prostate, from practice, and began aiming his thrusts in that direction which caused more disheveled moaning. "You like that, don't you." Kevin said as he began to push in with more force. He leaned over with his head, continuing a rhythm of thrusts with his fingers as he began to lick and suck at the back of Edd's thigh. It wasn't a conventional place to put a hickey but Kevin had the sudden desire to mark Edd and that was the closest thing to him. He bit lightly to make sure it would bruise but Edd hardly seemed to notice with Kevin's expert ministrations.

After he had finished with the hickey and he knew Edd was sufficiently opened up, he rolled a condom over his hard dick and lubed it up before pressing it, urgently inside. Edd felt himself stretch as Kevin's cock slid inside of him, a feeling he had gotten used to and may have even began to like. "More" He said, and Kevin complied, filling him up with his cock. It was so large, Edd knew it was larger than average but he loved the feeling of it. It was strong and rigid and when Kevin fucked him Edd felt like his muscles turned to jelly. Kevin was so masculine and it was attractive as hell.

His voice raised a few decibels as Kevin began to thrust in deeply, quickening his pace steadily. Kevin traced his hand's over Edd's sides again, causing ticklish sensations to run over him, as Kevin fastened, his hands involuntarily clenched up and his light trails became scratches of wild, animalistic, fervour. Edd didn't complain or even think of it, he enjoyed it so much, loving the feeling of being dominated. He had to do no work, he could give himself completely to Kevin and not worry about anything else as Kevin worked him into sexual release. Kevin was also right about the blindfold, the scratches, the light touches, the penetration, the feeling of rope on his skin, the masculine scent of sweat and salt and sex. All of it was heightened with the blindfold, it was all so much more sensual. Edd might never have realised how much he really loved the dominant and submissive system so he was more than ever glad that he had met Kevin in a lust muddied state of mind.

Kevin grabbed onto the ropes at Edd's side's and used them like reins to pull Edd back onto his cock, to meet his thrusts. It gave them more force and made a satisfying thump between their bodies whenever he did, so he continued as he pulled all the way out before plunging back in to Edd, hot, wet and tight.

Energy coursed through Kevin's body again and he felt like doing some other form of physical exertion. He wanted to use the muscles in his arms and feel them exhaust as he did but in their current position that was impossible, so he settled for reaching around and stroking Edd instead while he thought of a more exerting use for his arms.

Feeling a pressure of release building within him and egged on by Edd's cries of "More, Jesus, that feels good." Kevin directed his thrusts back up at Edd's prostate. The change in Edd was immense and immediate. As soon as Kevin's cock first grinded past the sweet bundle of nerves, Edd was backing his ass up and smacking it into Kevin with force, desperate for more pressure to be placed on his prostate. Kevin altered his course just slightly so that he was brushing past it rather than hitting it dead on, and that sat well with Edd.

"Yes, Kevin!" Kevin continued the way he was going, and resumed his stroking of Edd's own cock making him wail in defeated bliss. He glubbed and moaned and choked out words like "K-kevin!" and "Yes!" between the convulsive spasms of his muscles that pushed him back to try and have more of Kevin inside of him, regardless of whether Kevin had more to give or not.

The friction that Edd felt around his hole only made the sensation better as he felt waves of pleasure rush over him and he had moments were it felt similar to being dunked by real waves in the ocean. He thought he might see white like they say happens, though all he could see was a tear distorted view of Kevin's bedroom wall or the back of his eyelids as he forced them shut in the agony of pleasure.

A pressure built, and built and built until he finally felt something erupting from him and he hadn't the mind to do anything but groan in release as he came onto the stretch of cream coloured sheets beneath him.

Seeing that Edd had finished, Kevin worried less about his boyfriend's pleasure and more about his own as he grasped the ropes wrapped around his torso, reminding him that Edd was in his complete control before he pulled the boy back and grunted in satisfaction of the extra friction caused and that thud and force he felt upon the collision of their bodies. He thrust deeper and harder and felt like his hips might fly off their hinges and roll down the street as he did with such force, desperate for some form of instant release. He glanced at the sight of Edd's face, contorted but slowly relaxing as he came down from his orgasm and it set some kind of switch of inside him which sent him straight into plateau. He felt it wash over him and soon he was cumming too, into his condom.

Kevin pulled out, still hard and wanting to fuck Edd again but he knew Edd wouldn't be ready for that yet so he simply undid the other boys ties and ignored it as it slowly calmed down.

Edd was tired and panting and gasping for breath when all the ropes had been taken from him and he felt satisfying pops as he stretch out. He hadn't realised during it, but that kind of sex had really left him feeling like a door with rusty hinges.

"Want a massage, baby?" Edd heard Kevin asked and was pleasantly surprised. He nodded and rolled onto his stomach again by Kevin's instruction.

Kevin's hand found there way to Edd's neck and began to knead out the tension there. Edd felt like he was melting, "ahhh."

Kevin was rewarding Edd for allowing him to do that to him. Kevin had always been like this, despite the fact that he needed total domination, he was always nice to those who gave it to him, and gave them little rewards like this to prove to them how much it meant to him. Besides that, BDSM can be very tiring both physically and mentally and Kevin knew Edd would need the reassurance that he did actually care on top of the physical benefits of getting a massage.

Kevin's hand traveled down Edd's back, pressing the tension out with flattening hand movements before kneading with circular ones. Edd asked, "Where did you learn this, Kevin? You are very good."

Kevin laughed remembering the story and replied "Well this is going to sound weird, but Nat's mum did." Edd turned his head sideways to check and see if Kevin was joking, he wasn't. "Yeah, she could give a mean back rub, Nat loved them but he felt like he was too old to get them from his mum anymore so she taught me how to do it."

Edd found the story a little strange. "Well regardless of how you acquired them, I'm glad you have these skills."

Kevin laughed, he supposed Edd would.

That night they slept in a tangled mess of each others arms but Kevin somehow managed to close his eyes for the night before Edd did as he stayed awake a while, wondering about Jim and how he was doing at Planks house. But he soon stopped because it would do him no good, he told himself he'd ring in the morning and check that way, and with that reassurance, he snuggled into Kevin's chest and fell asleep.

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GAH! First bondage chapter, yay! Kinks to follow: dressups, stronger role play, more creative use of setting (I'll let you guess what that means haha) Review please darlings.

Next time: How's Jim holding up?


	27. Chapter 27

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 27**

If you haven't seen the post on the song accompanying this chapter, go check it out on my tumblr. june-bugger dot tumblr dot com

* * *

"This is the first time you'll be away from Edd?" Plank asked as their car pulled them forward more and away from Edd that was quickly becoming a blob of black that Jim couldn't make out the form of. He saw Kevin walk up behind him then they were one big glob looking kind of like an elephant or something from Jim's distance.

"Yeah..." He said absent mindedly as he turned around to see Plank looking at him with intense eyes, it made him jump a bit.

"You'll be safe with me." He said, and Jim had no doubts that that was true. But it wasn't a matter of his safety, he would just miss Edd. Jim knew he could easily just call Edd if he wanted, but it was the idea of going to an unfamiliar home for a long period of time without Edd that scared him. Jim knew that going back to an empty home, with or without Edd would probably be worse but it was still frightening.

Jim cast his eyes over to see that Plank had decided to stare out the window. Jim wondered what he was thinking, what floated around in Plank's idle thoughts? Jim would probably have a good stab at it if it were Edd, because he knew Edd very well, but he did not know so much about Plank.

"Driver, wind down the window." Plank said and the driver did. Fresh air whipped in the window, cold a nice smelling. It blew Plank's hair back as they traveled along. Plank then pulled a cigarette out and placed it in his mouth, lighting the end and taking a long drag before blowing the smoke out of the open window.

Jim frowned. "You really shouldn't do that, it's bad for your lungs."

Plank regarded Jim with two eyes holding a strange, inexplicable emotion before he took another drag, blew the smoke out the window and completely ignored wasn't really shocked when he was honest, Plank had always been quiet and if he didn't want to say anything to Jim that was nothing new.

Hearing Plank's voice after the long pause was what was really surprising. He said "There are a lot more horrible things that can happen to you than having bad lungs. I'd rather this than other things I've seen." His voice was low and calculatory, he was being careful with what he said. "Besides, it helps calm me down."

Jim was glad that Plank was sharing, but he didn't know why he'd need to be calmed down. Jim cocked his head to the side and asked "Why do you need to smoke now, then?"

Plank grumbled and made a face, as if not expecting Jim to ask that particular question. He said, finally, "At home, there are certain things I cannot avoid." He blew smoke out the window again and turned around. "It'll be easier...with you there."

Jim didn't have anything else he wanted to say, he put his hand on Planks knee, "Then I'm glad I'm coming with you."

He smiled big in the way that only he could and it threw Plank off. How could he brood over the inescapable guilt he was about to be flooded with, when Jim made that face at him? He reached out a hand and ruffled Jim's hair, the way he always did and managed a small smile back. "I'm glad I didn't fuck you up." He thought, but he didn't say it out loud.

The car brought them to an airport and they got in a plane that took them to the area Plank lived in. The flight was short and Jim was glad because he would have little jet lag as he and Plank got into another car, that one driven by one of Plank's personal servants and it lead off down the road.

Planks house was nowhere near as large as Jim had envisioned it, in fact it was only slightly bigger than his own house, or so it looked that way from the outside, he'd have to get inside to find out how big it really was. But it did look more... noble? Rich? Jim couldn't find the right word, but the outside had clean brick walls and a nice garden and three stories. Jim suddenly thought to ask, "What do your parents do, Plank?"

"My father's a military brigadier." Plank said and Jim was shocked. He knew enough about the military to know that that was a high rank. "And my mum stays home to look after my brother."

Jim didn't quite know what else to say so he was uncharacteristically quiet as he was lead inside the house. Once there, Jim saw that it was bigger than his house, there was more swinging space but it was quite cozy for someone with a father who was a brigadier. Plank explained it was because of his mother, she was not too fond of large houses and would rather a smaller home to live in. Jim didn't think it was exactly "small" but it would be for someone who had grown up in a mansion.

The walls were covered in a cute pastel looking wallpaper and the furniture followed the same pattern, opting for bright colours rather than the usual khakis, greys and browns that sofas usually had. Glass tables with furnished wooden rims sat both in the loungeroom as a coffee table and as an eating table in the dining area, which was small yet lavish in it's own sense.

Plank lead Jim through the house and past the kitchen hich Jim spared a glance at and saw it was kept spic and span, every surface glistening with the obvious cleaning effort that went into it. The stoves harboured nary a boiled-over pot stain and the benches had no splashes of any kind of liquid to taint it's otherwise perfect surface. Even the fridge was free of any grubby fingerprints from hungry hands that might be searching for a midnight snack, or milk, or juice. Jim was impressed, Plank's mother (who Jim, perhaps heterosexistly, assumed ran such a prestine cuisine) really liked to keep her shit clean, cleaner than his own kitchen ever was; even on the days he had a ataxophobic crisis and cleaned it until his knuckles were red and raw and the house smelt like a mixture of disgusting floral scents and chemical warfare.

Jim asked, "Does it always look like that?"

Plank nodded. "My mum likes to keep things orderly, but the maids are really who're responsible."

Of course, Plank had maids. Jim had been momentarily confused due to the smaller an humbler appearance of the interior of Planks house, but he was still rich and his father was still a brigadier; of course they had maids. Jim supposed they must be hounded on to keep the kitchen free of any dirt less they face the wrath of the house's matriarch. Maybe Jim handed himself the heterosexism card too early or/and perhaps his new image of Plank's mother was far fetched and likely inaccurate, Jim had a bad habit of making images of people he hadn't met yet that could easily be proven wrong. Sometimes he even got himself worked up in assumptions of people he had never met yet, angry at them though he had never heard their voice for pseudo-actions performed by their pseudo-personas inside of Jim's mind. It was negatively horrible, sometimes and Jim reminded himself to keep his mind open to any kind of personality Plank's mother may have. He didn't want to make a bad impression after all.

Jim was lead to find Planks mother walking down a hall that lead to Plank and Johnny's rooms. She seemed surprised when she saw him but smiled warmly regardless, already exerting an aura vastly opposing Jim's mind mother (or mind Plank's mother.) She had long blond hair, silky and shiny and it hang in front of her right shoulder in a twisting ponytail that swept out into bouncy curls at the bottom.

"Oh, is this your friend?" She asked in a soft voice that sounded as sweet as honey. "He's a lot younger than I thought he'd be."

A personified Napoleon complex (it was a boy that wore a lot of red and had a blonde, braided ponytail) came and kicked Jim in the face. But he quickly recovered. It was hard to stay made at a woman such as herself when she made a mistake. Besides that, Jim tried not to get too caught up in the idea of his own experience and remembered that Planks mum had never met him before and was only making assumptions based off what she had observed in the past.

"I am sixteen, ma'am. Only a month or two younger than Plank." Jim informed her.

To say that she held her surprise in wel would be lying but at least her eyes didn't pop out of her head and roll down the street metaphorically, like some other's reactions had been metaphorically similar to. She gasped softly and held a hand to her mouth. A look of "Is he serious" crossing her face. She opened her mouth and Jim braced himself for a barrage of questions like "did you eat your vegetables?" "Did you get stepped on?" "Are you a dwarf?"__

She instead said "He calls you by that silly nickname too, Ivan?"

Jim blinked, rather confused. The first thing his brain processed was Plank's real name. Ivan. It had a nice ring to it, and suited Plank nicely. Jim was unsure if he'd be able to or even want to change the nickname, he had become attached to it but knowing Plank's real name was something that Jim now realised was kind of a fundamental for any kind of relationship.

Next, Jim's ever scattered brain, befuddled even more by the stress of Edd's leave, pondered why Plank's mum was concerned about that, or even why she had brought it up. She wondered who else "used that silly nickname" but his question was answered faster than he really expected.

"It is not silly." He warned, his voice cold as he glared at his mother. She was taken aback and nodded briskly before turning back to Jim.

"It is nice to meet you Jim." She said before brushing past them and walking off, the clack of her heels fueling an intense awkward fire that had lit beneath Jim's feet, making him feel uncomfortable. As always though, Jim decided being cheerful was the best tactic to take here and making light of the situation would make it easier for Plank.

"Your mums nice." Jim said and it was so overzealous, the sarcasm he had originally meant to seed in was washed over with incredibly fake sounding happiness, sarcasm in and of itself. It was far too over the top, almost a satire of Jim's normal self and it caused the two to stare at each other incredulously before they burst out laughing.

"I'm glad you like her." Plank was able to say after his laughing had subsided and a sly smirk spread across his lips. "C'mon. I want you to meet someone." His tone suddenly shifted to one guarded and mysterious again. "You're only going to meet him later if not now."

Jim nodded, slightly anxious at the vagueness of what Plank had just said but followed him anyway, down the hallway and through a door that had the letters "JoHnNY" written on them.

Plank grimaced at the floor as he slowly reached a hand out to the doorknob but opened it swiftly regardless. Inside Jim was a boy, larger than him but smaller than Plank, sitting on the floor and playing with a toy train, making "choo choo" noises as he guided it along the track with his hands. Behind him was a large window, looking out toward the city located at the bottom of a dip in the land behind Planks house, Jim had previously been unaware existed. The sunlight shone bright and strong from the same direction, getting in Jim's eyes as he stepped forward, in toe with Plank.

The smaller boy, who Jim quickly noticed had a more tan skin colour, looked up with excitement upon sighting Plank and ran over and hugged him. "Plank!" He squealed happily.

Plank smiled in a strange way and said. "Jim, this is my brother, Johnny."

Jonny turned around to look at who Plank was talking to and blinked when he saw Jim. He cocked his head to one side and then smiled, revealing some missing teeth.

"This is Jim, Jonny. My-" Plank paused as he tried to come up with a label for Jim that was more than just a friend but not quite a lover. Yet. He settled on, "Best friend," and nodded to himself in affirmation of his decision.

Jonny jumped and pulled his legs in close to each other, throwing his hand into a violent salute. Then, he smiled again and said nothing more before running back to attend to his trains.

Jim sighed, "How old is he?"

Plank looked out the window thoughtfully and paused for a long time, before answering. "He turned eighteen not too long ago."

Jim was surprised. "But, but he-"

"Has brain damage." Plank finished and Jim gulped, instantly feeling guilty.

They both turned back to Jonny who was making some more train noises as he pushed a train along. Suddenly he said, "You haven't said much since you were last here, Plank." and Jm realised he was referring to a plank of wood that had a face drawn on it. A plank.

Realisation dawned on Jim's face and he suddenly asked "So Jonny is the one who gave you the nickname?"

Plank nodded solemnly.

"And...your mum thinks it's silly?"

Plank was quiet for a moment before he replied. "Both of my parents aren't too happy about the way he turned out."

_The way he turned out?_ Jim repeated to himself and duly noted that Plank's parents may be more sinister than he thought they were. _He's not a cookie._

Jim felt horrible, he had thought his and Edd's situation had been bad but this must be very difficult to go through, Jim was sure of it. He wanted to console Plank somehow, but he had no idea how. He had no large arms to wrap someone up in and feel safe nor wise words like Edd had. Jim was just Jim, curious and happy and vulnerable. He had never had to console anyone before and had no doubt he'd be rather bad about it. But Jim knew he could listen.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, softly and with as little implied importance to the question as his tone could muster all on it's own.

"What would you like to hear?"

Ok, Jim had not been expecting that. "...How did it happen?"

A look of sudden anger and regret crossed Plank's face and then his mouth moved, his voice gravelly and more aggressive than Jim had ever heard it. But that wasn't what had shocked him, what shocked him was what Plank had said.

"I did. I did this to him."

_When Plank was thirteen his father had sent him off to bootcamp with his brother Jonny. Plank really hadn't wanted to go, he hated the idea of being forced to do something he wasn't interested in. Fuck physical activity, Plank really just wanted to become like a rockstar or something and have clothespins as piercings and stuff like that._

Though that dream was what had landed him in this position with Jonny. Jonny was fine, he was stupid and actually wanted to be there, but Plank had been forced to go. He had started smoking, one of his friends had given him one to try and he had loved it. He was such a badass and he knew it, fuck everyone else, he could smoke if he wanted to. But his dad didn't seem to think so, fucking cunt.

So now he was forced into running in line with a bunch of beefy fucktards who wanted to run laps and join the army and be a hero, just like Planks piece of shit father. He had no interest in that, why would he have an interest in being anything like that guy? He was never home and whenever he was he was always fucking Planks mum so loud he could hear them in his bedroom. Fucking disgusting. Plank had scoffed, interrupting his train of thought. Banging your misses so hard your own son can here it was disgusting not smoking, like his dad had said.

Anyway Plank had told his dad he'd shove the smoke up his ass if he didn't shut his fucking noise hole, and well that's when he had ended up here, miserable and bored out of his fucking life, surrounded by assholes.

It had been raining the first day, raining hard but whoever the guy was who was commanding all the shit didn't seem to care. He still blew his whistle like it would give him some small smidgen of self worth to order a bunch of shitty kids around a wet and muddy field and yelled himself horse. Plank already knew he hated the guy, just by the way he wore his masculinity as if it were some kind of superior design brand handbag. He was not superior to Plank in any way. Plank would burn him too if he didn't watch it, he'd love to see the fucker squeal with a chutney hole full of ashes.

"Ivan Luzi!" The guy with the whistle yelled and Plank had had enough.

"Fuck you." He said as he walked away from the guy, safe in the fact that he was a brigadiers son as he walked back into the cabin type dorm thing they were staying in.

It was great. He got warm before everyone else and was able to get away from a bunch of stupid people running around in the rain.

It was still raining, perhaps harder than it had been before, when Jonny got back. He was wet and looked miserable when he got back and when Plank saw him he started cackling to himself, Jonny didn't look impressed. He said "Ivan, we need to talk outside."

Plank grumbled but got up and plodded outside with Jonny, passing some more of the boys that shot him evil glares that he couldn't give two less fucks about. Jonny lead him around behind the cabin, to a porch-like area where he stopped and turned to face Plank and Plank prepared himself begrudgingly for some kind of ear bashing.

"I know you don't care too much about this Ivan, but when you swear at our instructor it makes our family look bad."

Jonny was right, Plank didn't care. "He was fucking annoying!"

Jonny growled. "There you go again! Can you keep the language decent for just five seconds?"

Plank resented Jonny's annoyed tone. "Hmm, let me think?" Plank said. "Fuck no."

"Ivan! You are here with me because you made a mistake and made dad angry, but I'm here by choice. Don't fuck it up for me."

"Look who's swearing now you fucking hypocrite."

"I am allowed to do what I please. I'm not the idiot who got dad angry." Jonny snapped.

"Fuck you Jonny! Dad's a shit father anyway! Who cares if the faggots angry with me."

"Brigadier Luzi is not a "shit" father." Jonny said his voice raising. "You are a shit son."

"What was that?!" Planks snarled, anger rising in the pit of his stomach like bile.

"I said maybe if you acted like a human being, dad and mum wouldn't hate you so much."

Plank snapped. How fucking dare Jonny. His parents didn't hate him, they loved him. Plank was loved and he always would be. His anger boiled in him dangerously and exploded suddenly. He stepped forward suddenly and shoved Jonny hard.

...

Plank would later find out that the wooden handrail that might have normally caught Jonny was old and mouldy and when Jonny collided with it, it broke with a loud crack. Jonny flew off the elevated wooden platform that held the cabin above the ground of a large hill. Plank watched and heard the snap of Jonny's head colliding with the ground, splashing mud from the rain everywhere as he toppled over again. And again, rolling down the hill and making a series of the cracking and snapping noises and leaving a trail of blood behind, diluted by the rain.

Plank was filled with dread, his ribcage felt tight and it felt like someone had reached in and squeezed Plank's heart. He had killed him. Jonny was dead. It didn't take long for him to act as he jumped down from the wooden platform and began trekking down the hill. 

_The rain made it slippery and Plank fell and rolled a bit himself a lot of the time, awarding him with a lot of cuts and bruises, but he didn't care, he needed to get to Jonny. He followed the trail he saw the body fall in until it was in his sight again and he ran up to it as quickly as he could._

Plank did't realise it was possible to be this scared. His hands shook and couldn't close properly, both because of the fear and the numbing of the cold. He reach a ahand out and tried to touch Jonny to roll him over, but he didn't want to look, didn't want to see the mangled remains of what was once his brother.

Blood pooled around him, staining his clothes and the patch of land he had finally come to rest on. Plank knew he should be calling for help but the only thiing he could focus on was the feeling of his heart sinking lower and lower until it swam around in his stomach and burnt up in the stomach acid there. He was putridly terrified, he felt like he was going to vomit and a large part of him wanted to continue running down the hill or perhaps make a dive so that he'd die as well. That way he wouldn't have to live through the wrath of his parents, he wouldn't have to live without his brother.

But those fantasies and the horrible thoughts that followed realising that killing himself was a fantasy in that moment were chased away by a rationality screaming at him to do something. There wasn't much time left and he knew it.

Suddenly his heart was back in his chest again and it wasn't just beating blood, but adrenaline. It warmed his extremities as it flowed through him and with a sudden spur of energy, he reached forward and turned his brother over.

Ge gasped and a sickly black honey dripped down his throat as it clogged there and choked him. The sight was to grimace to comprehend at face value and all he could see after the first glance was a blurry shape, a caricature of his brother, a cartoon as it lay there, a skull and crossbones instead of it's head. But that didn't matter, the first glance of his brothers dishevelled form was enough to engrave it into his brain forever. Missing teeth, bruises and cuts and blood gushing from his head. His clothes were ripped, it looked like his arm was broken and his mouth was permanently stuck in the shocked expression of what had happened to him right before his fall.

Plank's hands were shaking again as he reached them out to touch Jonny. He wanted to say something, to call his name, but the words caught in his throat and all audacity had drained out of his body. He wanted to crawl up and die but he had to help his brother. He shoved a hand in Jonny's pocket, over soaked with both blood and rain and grabbed his phone, he prayed it still worked in the wetness and luckily he did. He quickly called the instructor and waited for him to pick up. When he did, Plank didn't waste anytime before he made the only sound he could which was a cry ardent for help, desperate for some kind of resolution, begging to be freed. He needed someone to come help Jonny, he couldn't let him die. He couldn't kill him.

Plank didn't say anything that tipped the instructor off as to his whereabouts, but he didn't have to. The scream was so loud, he heard it from the cabin and came rushing down instantly to help.

Jim had to look over at Jonny to make sure his face was intact and not as Plank had described it in his worrisome tale. He swallowed through the lump in his throat and said nothing, only stepping forward to wrap his little arms around Plank's waist and holding him close.

Plank laughed at the situation bitterly. "Looks like our roles are reversed." He bit his lip. "Mind talking this time, Jim? I'm not used to you not voicing your every opinion."

Jim smiled into Plank's stomach. "And I'm not used to you voicing your every opinion." Jim put emphasis on the 'voicing'. "I just, I'm really sorry that happened to you, Plank."

Plank nodded, happy. "I couldn't talk for weeks after that." Plank explained after a long pause. "And I tried not to talk as much as I could after that. I thought if I said anything, I might loose my temper and end up hurting someone again."

Jim gasped in the sudden realisation that Plank's silence wasn't just a personality quirk. How could he not have seen that.

"It wasn't until I met you that I really tried communicating with someone again." He said, his voice still holding a bitterness that Jim didn't like and tried to eliminate by hugging Plank tighter.

"i'm glad you did." He said.

Silence.

"Choo, choo."  
Plank laughed, his mood improving slightly. "Let's go to my room to finish this." Plank said waving goodbye to Jonny.

Plank's room was just across from Jonny's and was easy to get to. They traveled quickly and Plank soon lead Jim to his bed where he sat the smaller boy next to him.

At first he said nothing. There were a million things swirling around in Plank's head, especially the story he had just told. He remembered the horrible guilt he had felt, like he was a murderer. He was so scared, he didn't want to do that again, but at the same time he didn't want to run away. He didn't want the image of Jonny rolling down the hill to haunt him forever.

"Jim." He said after the longest pause Jim had ever had to sit through. He answered his name with a soft, "Yes."

"What happened with Jonny, I fucked up." Jim nodded but said nothing. "But I don't want to fuck up what I have with you."

"I'm not your brother, Plank. Even if you want me to act as him." Jim's words were bitterfully truthful.

"I know." and Jim was surprised to hear that, like Plank had come to terms with that a long time ago. "I used to think you were and if I didn't fuck up with you, I could somehow be "forgiven" but now I realise that's bullshit." He stopped. "I don't know how long it will take for me to forgive myself for what I did to Jonny, but that doesn't matter because right now I want to make sure we're okay." Another pause. "You're not a fucking brother replacement Jim, you're far from it."

Jim nodded slowly. "Ok."

Plank slowly lowered his hand onto Jim's and looked over at him, a look of passion on his face. "I love you, Jim."

Jim thought he must be hearing things. Plank loved him no way.

"And because I love you, I don't want you to get hurt." Ok, he couldn't have heard things wrong twice, could he?

"I never want you to feel afraid in my arms, because I love you not because I want ot fix what I fucked up with Jonny." Plank loved him?

"But I'll wait for you, I know you don't know what you want yet."

And then all of the passion drained out of Planks face and he removed his hand. It was like, if emotions extended out of people in waves, Jim could see where they had stoped, the beautiful glow they radiated, suddenly gone as Plank shut himself up again and his face returned to it's natural stoic position.

Jim was desperate. He couldn't let Plank shut down like that. More than that he couldn't let himself run away from the truth. Plank had made himself vulnerable, now it was Jim's turn. He got up quickly and faced Plank.

"Plank I was afraid!" Plank looked up with a curious face. "The only person who has ever stayed with me for all of my life is Edd. My friends all left me, and even my own parents." Jim suddenly made himself sad. "When I met you guys I didn't want it to be the same, but i couldn't help having fun with you."

Jim swallowed. "But if I dated you I thought it might be too risky, so I just left it. It was true, at the time I didn't know, but know I do. I figured out why I could never decide." Jim could see the waves of emotions slowly come off of Plank again and knew whatever he was doing was the right thing. Plank could see Jim's waves as well.

"I'm not afraid anymore Plank!" Plank blinked. "I'm not the only one who's hurting." Jim added. "And Edd left now, for a long time, and it was scary to trust myself to you for that, but now I'm here and it;s ok. You told me your story, so now I'll tell you mine."

Jim took in a deep breath. "My story goes like this, once there was a little boy who was scared and sad and held the weight of the world on his shoulders. Then a man came along and took the world off and carried half of it until he was strong enough to carry his burdens on his own. Then that man taught him a lesson about trust that he never would have known before. And that man is you and I love you and let's kiss."

Jim tackled Plank to his bed and soon their lips were locking the words they had previously spoken. It filled them both up with energy, enough to take on the world and their movements were now solidifying what they both should have known all along.

_I love you._

* * *

Fwah! I think I'vejust made a bunch of fans very happy, or at least I hope so. XD Remember to review lovelies.

Next time: Kevin and Edd, do STUFF! (Spooky)


	28. Chapter 28

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 28  
**

Sorry for the wait guys, I had a little break I guess. But I'm back and plan to be back in a regular updating schedule! (it's funny because I haven't updated in about three or four days, which is still less than the average updater, and I'm apologizing for it! XD The slackers!)

* * *

Edd woke up in Kevin's arms, tired but happy in the warmth of them and the morning sun. He rubbed his eyes and yawned before casting his glance over to Kevin's sleeping face. He looked very innocent while he slept, Edd noted, which was a strange thought knowing just want the larger male was into. He almost giggled out loud, one moment he was being a dominant prince and the next he was sleeping and looked more innocent than Jim did, more innocent than Jim did sleeping even!

Without his hat, his hair hung differently, which Edd had seen before but it had gotten significantly longer since then, it was still cut shorter around the sides than it was the front in a style that Nat and Kevin seemed think was cool, but nobody else did, but it didn't nearly look as drastic without Kevin's scalp showing through the strands of very short hair. It just looked like a normal haircut, but with a long fringe. Edd thought he preferred it this way, though he never wanted Kevin's hair to get as long as his own, but a decent length made him look less like an army cadet. Come to think of it, Plank had half of his head shaven too didn't he. What was there some kind of club that Edd had missed discovering the existence of. Did they meet on Saturdays and play card games while relishing and luxuriating each other's prickly scalps by running their oh-so-higher-in-class fingertips over them? Did Edd miss the memo because he was a commoner? (not that he'd shave his head anyway, that might reveal some secrets Edd wanted to stay secret for now.)

Edd looked back over at Kevin and smiled. Secret club or no, Kevin was very, dare Edd say, cute while he slept. Too bad he wasn't like that when he woke up, or maybe that wasn't a bad thing at all, Kevin was starting to show his true colours and Edd wasn't sure if he actually cared to much. No he didn't care, not at all.

The ringing of Edd's phone broke him from his reverie. Luckily it was on silent, and in his pants on the floor, so the vibrating was soft, and Edd was probably the only one who noticed it; it wouldn't wake Kevin up. So he slid out of Kevin's arms, and expert, by now, of doing it without waking Kevin from his slumber and headed for his phone, feeling the cold on his lower half and groaning as he realised he was naked. He had quite liked to stay in bed a little longer, but he would never be rude enough to ignore a call. When he made his way over to the phone and picked it out of his pocket he saw it was Jim calling, so he answered and quickly said "Hang on a minute Jim," before placing the phone down and dressing himself.

He picked it back up again and hurried out of the room before he held it back up to his ear. "Hello Jim."

"EDD I KISSED HIM!"

Edd quickly pulled the phone away from his ear and jumped, frightened for a moment that the world may be ending by the sheer urgency in Jim's tone. But soon he processed what was said and felt a little confused.

"Who did you kiss?"

"Plank, I kissed Plank! Or Ivan, but Plank!" Jim said in an excited yet manic tone.

"Who did you kiss, Plank or Ivan?" Edd asked, his confusion increasing.

"Plank is Ivan. It's his real name. But I think he want's me to keep calling him Plank anyway. But sweet troll Jegus, Edd! It actually happened."

"What's a troll Jegus?" Edd asked, perplexed.

"Oh that's a thing from this amazing place Plank showed me called the internet."

"The internet?"

"Yes! But that's not the point! The point is I kissed Plank!"

Edd realised that that was probably an interesting development. It might not have been, if it had happened earlier, but they had been stuck in a state of platonic intimacy for a while, Edd had long since adopted the idea that they would be "bros for life" or whatever it was that the contemporary straight men called it.

"Well, I can tell that you are very excited about it." Edd said, unsure as to how he was supposed to react. "Um, good job. I guess?"

Jim sighed, "At least you tried, Edd." He said with a giggle and Edd smiled back, even though Jim couldn't see it through the phone.

"So does this mean you and Plank are dating?" Edd asked.

"I dunno." Jim said with a bit of a laugh. "I never really thought about it but I suppose so."

"Well I would assume so, unless you plan to string him along. Are you secretly a dubious, emotional-saboteur, Jim?"

Jim giggled. "No!"

"Well then. I guess you've got yourself a boyfriend."

"Bleh." Jim said. "It feels weird to say that just now, it only happened last night."

Edd remembered the feeling. He had been the same with Kevin when they first started dating, though he thought for different reasons than Jim had.

"I understand the feeling." Edd paused, "So Jim, how are you feeling? About staying with Plank, that is."

Jim paused on the other end of the phone and Edd really hated that he couldn't see the expression that Jim was wearing. His detachment quickly became detestment toward mobile electronic communication devices as they were not, in Edd's opinion, a very solid nor sound form of communication at all. He might blow a blood vessel in agonizing anticipation of just hearing his baby brother speak and he didn't even have the comfort of examining the expressions of thought processes that would normally cross the younger boy's face if he were there in the flesh. Alas, Jim was not there in the flesh, and though Edd equal parts execrated both suspense and the broken and incredibly distracting sound of Jim's heavy breath, displaced directly into his speaker, Edd had to wait.

"I think I'm okay." Jim responded, finally. Edd wanted to hold a funeral for all of his killed synapses, wasted on worrying over Jim's response. He was relieved. "I was a little worried at first, but I'm really happy I came now."

Edd rolled his eyes. "As you would." He smiled again. "I am glad you are happy, Jim. Just make sure you stay safe. Use protection Jim. It is very important, even though you are both boys."

Jim made an appalled squeal on the other end of the phone, again Edd had to hold it away to prevent himself from becoming deaf. "Edd! Why would we do that!? We only just kissed last night!"

Edd laughed a bit, "I am sorry Jim, but I thought it necessary to remind you. Just in case."

"Well can assure you I won't need the advice until much later!" Jim said, his tone becoming a little more joking.

Jim and Edd talked for a while longer before Edd hung up to leave Jim to his discretions.

He returned to his Kevin's room to see the boy sitting up in bed, his naked chest exposed. Edd said, "You're awake. Sorry I couldn't wake up in your arms like you so desired. I was on the phone."

"Well I guess you'll just have to make it up to me then." Kevin said, a wicked smirk crossing his lips.

Edd felt worried suddenly, "What is it?" He asked hesitantly.

"So. I have morning wood..."

* * *

It was raining outside as Rave watched the droplets of water fall and hit the floor, spreading their white mist over it as he liked to do whenever it rained. He thought to himself for a moment, sipping his coffee, bitter without the sugar and looking out the window. It was tranquil, in a depressing kind of way. Rave had always liked his alone time but somehow he had gotten used to the constant presence of Nat. He'd never actually tell anybody this, but he'd kill to hear Nat's voice. He wouldn't even care if he was being an obnoxious asshole or saying something stupid and immature. Dependency, it seemed, was something Rave would have to work on.

He shouldn't want to hear or see Nat, just because they had been together for a while now and Rave might be willing to admit there was something more to their relationship. Fuck, even if they were in a relationship Rave should be able to handle some time away from him. It was the holidays, and everyone went home, including Nat and Rave was sure he was coping fine.

A little voice in the back of his head told him that Nat had his mother, whereas Rave had no one, so it was entirely justifiable for him to miss his boyfriend. But Rave quickly put a stop to that little thought and sent it to thought jail for treason. He would not have his own thoughts betraying him now would he, so he would have to implement some kind of disciplinary regime to keep them in check.

The thought called for a another hearing to pledge his innocence and returned to the front of his mind. As the judge of this particular hearing, Rave pondered it a second time. Was it okay for him to miss Nat?

Rave let the thought go by giving it the benefit of the doubt and let it frolic in his brain with all the other thoughts. He really had no idea how he felt about it. He didn't think it was a particularly bad thing to do and forgot why he had ever been so opposed to it in the first place. So he took a different approach, would it do him any good to miss Nat?

Back to jail little thought, you have a cruel leader.

Rave left the small cafe he had planted himself soon after. He planned on picking some food up on the way home but the rain had become quite heavy and Rave didn't want to anymore, or at least, he was willing to go without food for one night in order to save himself the embarrassment of walking through the shopping centre, dripping wet. He didn't have an umbrella.

Rave seethed irritably as he felt his clothes become soaked in the wet. The clung to his skin and became heavy making them even more annoying. If Rave was a nudist, or it was socially acceptable to run down the street naked, he would be doing that by now. We clothes sucked.

He thought back to when Nat hade invited him to over to stay, just like Edd had with Kevin. Why had he said no? Maybe, if he had gone, he wouldn't be in the current situation and instead inside a nice warm, rich house. But then that reminded him. He would hate to be in the house that Nat grew up in, resenting every inch of it. He didn't get to grow up in a house, or with family. He lived in an orphanage and it fucking sucked. He might be filled with so much jealous rage he might blow up. He couldn't go. And he wasn't going to prevent Nat the annoyance of dealing with his stupid resentments, he was obviously doing it because he was a rich bastard that took everything for granted. Obviously! Anybody who couldn't see that was fucking stupid, in Rave's firm opinion.

... But he was still in the rain.

It didn't take Rave long to get home luckily. The coffee shop he had gone to wasn't too far away from his house and so he could finally get out of the rain. He enjoyed watching it and hearing it, he didn't really enjoy being in it. Especially when he was dressed in a winter coat and a scarf to keep himself warm. They became super frustrating when wet. But when Rave got to his house he saw a figure sitting out the front of it.

It was dark and Rave couldn't make out who it was so he searched for something he might be able to use as a makeshift weapon. He found a large-ish stick and decided it sufficed as he lunged forward brandishing it like a madman as he planned to chase the intruder away.

"Who are - NAT!"

Rave was shocked to see an equally shocked Nat smiling a slight smile at him with his hair hanging damp in his face instead of a thief or a squatter. Why was Nat at Rave's house. More importantly how had he known where it was?

"Hey James." Nat said and Rave cringed at the sound of his real name. It reminded him of his mother. He hated it.

"What is it Goldberg? What are you doing here?"

Nat gave Rave an absurd look. "I thought that was obvious, I came here to see you."

Only the sound of the rain filled their ears as they stared at each other for a moment. Rave, wasn't quite sure what to say. That wasn't what he was expecting really, though he didn't know what he might be expecting otherwise.

"Oh." He managed to say, but that was all.

"..."

"So, you gonna let me in or what?" Nat asked and the level of awkwardness floating around in the air suddenly became thicker.

Rave was about to at first, but then he remembered what the inside of his house looked like and was immediately opposed to the idea. He didn't want Nat in their judging him and he didn't want to give the guy another excuse to give him shit so there was no way he'd let him in.

Rave frowned, resorting to his natural defense of anger. "Why would I let you in? Do you think you can just show up uninvited and I'm going to let you in?"

"Um...yeah?" Nat replied with a laugh.

"Well you can't." Rave stalked toward the door in a hurry to get inside and lock Nat out.

"Hey! What the fuck is this Rave!?" Nat said getting up and following him. "I thought you said you had nobody living at home with you, why is it a problem?"

_Because I'm afraid that if you come in here and see what a mess my place, and I really am, you'll hate me and leave me alone. _"Because fuck you Nat! It's none of your business why!"

Rave jumped inside and shut the door behind him. He had allowed his emotions to get the better of him again. Being home always did that to Rave, it was too close to the orphanage, and the memories. Besides, today was the anniversary of his abandonment. Today was Rave's 17th birthday and he had celebrated it with a trip to the coffee shop, how sad was that?

No Nat couldn't be around him when he was in this state. He couldn't let Bat see him vulnerable, and when he finally admitted it to himself, that was the reason for everything he had been doing lately. Nat was too close, Nat was too dangerous. He had all the ammunition he needed to ruin Rave and he didn't want to give the smug, teal-haired fucker any more. He could fuck off, and Rave would be glad to be rid of him.

Nat rattled on the door loudly behind him, making him jump a bit. Rave heard Nat's voice, muffled through the wood of the door. "Rave! Let me in, I need to talk to you!"

"Go away Goldberg!" Rave yelled angry and hoping Nat would just go away.

"Dude! For fucks sake! It's your birthday, I wanted to come visit you!" Nat growled.

_It's your birthday._ Nat's word's rattled in Rave's head and his heart began to pump.

_**It's your birthday.**_

"_It's your birthday." Rave's mother had said warmly as she lead him to the door by the hand. "So we have a surprise for you."_

Rave was excited. "A surprise? Really?"

"Yes a surprise, so I'm going to put this blindfold on until we get there, to keep it a secret."

A strip of black was wrapped around Rave's head and was tied tight at the back. "Until we get there?" Rave asked. "Where are we going?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be a secret now, would it, James?" She said with a warm giggle.

"S'pose not."

_..._

"_Okay, we're getting out of the car now." Rave grew even more excited as his mother's hand lead him. What could it be? Where were they going? Maybe some fancy restaurant or to a playground of some sort. Even better, what if they were takiing him to go see Annie! It was new in the theatre and Rave had been dying to see it. Wouldn't that be a treat for his tenth birthday. He was lead up steps before the came to a halt. Rave became confused when he heard the sound of a doorbell ring._

"Goodbye, James." His mother's voice spoke in his ear and then he heard the sound of her heels clacking away before the revving of a car engine and the screeching of tires. Rave was filled with dread and quickly pulled his blindfold off and looked around. But he had no idea where he was, he didn't recognise anything. He didn't see his mother and he hadn't again since.

"Fuck. No!" Rave said as the memories plagued his mind and his hands began to shake. He couldn't have a panic attack over that. All Nat had said was that it was his birthday, which was true. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Rave." Nat's voice came through the other side strong and assertive. "Unlock the door."

"F-fuck off!" Rave said, but his voice was wavering and Nat knew something was wrong. He needed to get in.

"Rave. Open the door." He repeated, and if it were any other time Rave would have refused just to spite him, but he knew he had to. He wouldn't be able to handle an attack and an angry Nat, so he unlocked the door like Nat had told him too, but it was too late. It had already become hard to breath. He couldn't have fucking Nat see this, why the fuck did he let him in again? Oh that's right, he didn't want to die. Well Rave just hoped Nat had a fucking doctrine because it sure felt like he would anytime soon.

Nat burst through the door and scooped Rave up into his arms, pulling him into a wet-clothed hug. His arms squeezed him tightly as one of his hands came to rest on his head as it strocked his hair reassuringly. "Breath," he commanded and Rave listened, taking a deep breath in. Luckily for Nat, his mother had had a panic attack in front of him before. Her's was induced by stress but he had learnt how to deal with them then. It really wasn't all that uncommon to have panic attacks, but knowing Rave, who liked to blow things out of proportion in normal situations, he was probably thinking it was the end of the fucking world or something.

It was the end of the fucking world, Rave knew it. But Nat seemed to be doing a good job of making him feel safe, weirdly, considering he wasn't really doing anything, or he wasn't saying anything. He just stood there, holding Rave in his arms firmly. It was... reassuring. In fact, it made the whole thing seem kind of trivial; he felt safe. His heart rate slowed and his convulsions stopped and then he was caught in the stark vulnerability of his situation. Nat had seen it, he had helped Rave through it but he had seen it. Damn, now he was going to call Rave a freak and be on his way. Good job Rave, you fucked it up again.

"Hapy birthday, Rave." Nat said, and Rave froze. "Today is the anniversary of the day you were born. So it's the most important day of the year to me. How could I possibly miss it?"

Fuck, no. Rave was not crying. He wouldn't let himself look like a fucking pansy and cry in front of Nat. He could leave being a pansy to him. Nat's thing was acting like an idiot and saying mushy things and acting like a sappy piece of shit.

"What did you get me you piece of shit?" Nat asked as tears rolled down his face, happy tears.

"How's this?" Nat asked as he leaned in to kiss Rave, and in the heat of the moment, Rave couldn't have wished for anything more perfect.

Their lips were cold as they mashed together and hands grabbed to throw pieces of damp clothing onto the floor. They were wet and it caused a strange friction to occur when skin brushed over skin, and it was great. Rave was glad to throw his coat off, as he slid his hand up Nat's shirt and pulled it off, throwing it away. He was only partially aware that he'd have to mop the floors the next day because of it.

They moved quickly into Rave's bedroom, him taking the lead as the pushed each other up against walls and kissed and stumbled over each other in an attempt to get into the bedroom, reminiscent of their first time together, however they were only drunk on each other this time.

Rave pushed a shirtless Nat down onto his bed and mounted him as he straddled his chest and leaned in for another hungry kiss, his hand's running all over Nat's sides and feeling the ridges of his abs in fervency. He rocked back and forth, grinding their crotches together as he trailed more desperate kisses down Nat's neck and torso, feeling the cold flesh their and relishing in the novelty the temperature change brought.

Finger's frozen numb, reached down to unzip Nat's pant's as the kneaded the bulge there and gave it a squeeze. Rave's hand slipped inside and Nat gasped , though Rave's cold fingers did not affect his level of arousal. He moaned slightly, his cheeks flushing red as Rave ran his thumb over the head of his dick, pushing on the top to cause more precum to flow out. Nat reached forward, desperate to touch Rave, ad he did as he braced the other boy's shoulders.

Wet pant's found their way to the floor as did underwear until both of them were just as hard and vulnerable as each other. Rave shook his head, flicking bits of water everywhere and Nat laughed as some landed on his face and then their gaze was caught in a strange moment of intimacy. Rave's heart beat faster and something inside of him urged him to lean forward and place one more kiss on Nat's lips. It was soft, drawn out and somehow warm as it was the first kiss they had shared where both parties really committed to each other.

As they pulled away, their eye's quickly finding the sight of each other's, more than lust could be seen glistening in them, it was something more, a more passionate emotion. It made Rave feel more turned on than he ever had before and it butterflies fluttered around in his stomach as he lowered his head back down to Nat's penis, dripping with precum and the traces of water droplets from his clothes.

His tongue darted out and ran up the bottom of the shaft up and over the frenulum. Nat moaned and Rave loved the sound of it, he really should have topped Nat sooner.

Swallowing the head, he began to work his way down the shaft, his lips sliding over the skin with ease and causing wave's of steady pleasure to wash over Nat. Rave's talent was a little different than Nat was used to. It wasn't an intense pleasure but it was a steady pleasure, consistent as it washed over him. Rave wasn't trying to show off, make him cum faster or make him cum slower, he was simply working at a steady pace and Nat thought it was probably the best blowjob he had ever had.

He worked up and down the shaft, building up the pleasure and the pace at a slow incline. Nat moaned softly again and ran his hand's through Rave's soft hair making him purr and sending vibrations up his cock. Nat ran his hand's down the side's of Rave's head and over his shoulders, trying somehow to show reciprocation to the act that was being done to him.

Rave quickened his pace faster and faster, sensing how far Nat was from cuming by the desperation and loudness of his moans. Rave fastened a hand around the base of Nat's cock and began pumping into his mouth stimulating the extra area that his mouth couldn't, or rather, wouldn't reach. Nat began to croak out louder moans and the spaces between each new one became slowly indistinguishable before suddenly and finally he came. Rave swallowed and opened his mouth to let Nat's dick slop out, covered in saliva.

"Your turn." Rave said as he turned around, pushing his ass into Nat's face as he grabbed some lube from under his bed and poured it into his hand. He leaned forward and smeared it over Nat's entrance before poking one finger inside, causing a gasp to escape him.

Nat was occupied by Rave's ass however as he grabbed both cheeks in his hand and gave them a good squeeze before he separated them "Your ass is perfect." He commented as he leaned forward and began to lick at Rave's hole, another hand wrapping around Rave's dick and giving it a good tug.

Rave gasped as he pressed further into Nat's ass with his finger's, opening the jock up with his fingers. Nat was tight, that half of him being unused for a while, but not virgin tight. It only took Rave a while to work more fingers in and open him up further.

Meanwhile Nat was pressing his tongue inside Rave's hole while stroking his dick voraciously, the sound of his palm slapping against Rave's balls echoing in the room. Rave moaned some more, realising that Nat was more desperate to make Rave cum than Rave had been for Nat, probably because he wanted Rave to cum at least once before he fucked him. After some more liking and a few more good tugs, it worked and Rave's cum joined Nat's old release on his stomach.

"Did you get checked like I asked?" Rave asked as he shimmied off of Nat and he turned himself over, getting onto all fours.

Some of the cum dripped off of Nat's stomach and landed on the bed as he said, "Yeah, but that doesn't matter if you're the one fucking me, does it?"

That statement brang a strange satisfaction to Rave. It had taken him a while to convince Nat to let him top and he was loving it so far, even though he hadn't really topped yet. It was a definite satisfaction to know that Nat would be out of smug comments soon enough once Rave's dick was up his ass.

Rave poured more lube over Nat's hole and this time used his finger as he pressed it through. With Nat's stomach facing the floor, his prostate was easy to find, his simply had to wriggle his thumb downward and he would have found it. Which he did, and he felt the small organ against his thumb as he pressed down on it.

"Fuck," Nat said as Rave continued his stimulations, using his free finger's to graps and play with Nat's balls. "Been awhile since I felt that. S-shit."

Rave discovered that Nat responded better when Rave rubbed up and down the inside wall rather than simply pressing against it and smiled devilishly. He continued pleasuring Nat that way for a while before he decided it was time.

Lining himself up, he pushed slowly inside, without a condom as they had both tested negative for aids. It was warm and tight and Rave all but purred at the sensation. He had topped before, with a condom and remembered how it felt, but he couldn't figure out wether it was Nat or the condom that was the variable that made it so much better. If he were inside some stupid fanfic written by a sixteen year old, Rave might chalk it up to the fact that it was Nat, and because they were soulmates it made it feel better or some bullshit. But Rave wasn't retarded and didn't believe in bullshit like that, so it was obviously the condom.

Rave began moving back and forth slowly and it felt great. Rave hadn't realised what he had been missing all this time, the lube made it slippery and wet and made fucking Nat absolute bliss.

He had to aim to aim downward instead of up in order to hit Nat's prostate but it was easy enough once he got the angle right and soon both Nat and Rave were moaning loudly and the feeling of fucking each other. Pressure built as Rave thrusted faster, egged on by the sound of Nat's moans.

He leaned forward, pressing his chest over Nat's back and giving him access to Nat's dick with his arms, as one reached back and began stroking him. The feeling of the bare skin against bare skin, made it somehow better. The feeling of togetherness it brung, and the friction it caused between their bodies heightened the pleasure. It felt so incredible, like he could let himself go, almost as if their was no difference between Nat and himself. Like they were melting together into one entity.

Some words he had read somewhere bounced around in his head about the most expressive form of love was wanting to be inside of someone else bounced around in his head and, all things considered, he had an epiphany.

He suddenly pulled away from Nat's body but didn't stop thrusting, in fact, he thrusted harder. "Shit Nat!" He said suddenly.

"Agh, what is it?" Nat breathed.

"I think I'm in love with you."

With the words hanging in the air both of them were surprised and shocked so Rave delt with it the only way he really knew how to in that situation and began to thrust faster and harder, returning their bodies to their positions of togetherness.

Heat rose and so did pleasure and the decibel of their moans. They mixed together in a sweet harmony and Rave had the strangest thought that they should duet together sometime but quickly forgot it as another moan escaped his mouth.

He ran his hand's all over Nat's body as he moved in and out, over his chest, over the lean muscles taut in the movement's of sex and down toward his dick. Finally he grabbed it again and began pumping it in time with his thrusts. It was building up and up and Rave knew it was coming soon.

"Fuck, I'm close." Rave gasped..

"Me too." Nat replied in a wavering tone.

The pleasure built, their bodies continued moving as one, Rave thrusted harder and deeper, and he jerked Nat off harder as well, they both gasped and ejaculated at the same time. Rave arched his back as he rode out his orgasm, his cum spilled inside of Nat and he gasped at the strange feeling of the viscous liquid filling him up as his own spilled onto the bed where the other two loads had dripped down to and then collapsed on top of it, and Rave on top of him.

They both panted.

"Fuck, Rave, you were great." Nat said.

"Of course I was." Rave replied as he pulled out before he got soft in Nat's ass.

There was a pause.

"If I realised it would have helped you realise I woul have let you top ages ago."

"Realised what?"

"I love you too, boo." Nat said and Rave didn't need to see his smirk.

"Call me "boo" again and I'll circumcise you like your parents should have!" Rave spat but he still felt warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Nat cackled, "That's an interesting threat. Not everyone's a jew you know."

"I'm not a jew, I'm fucking greek!"

"Whatever."

"..."

"You know we totally fucked your bedsheets up right?"

"Oh for fucks sake!"

* * *

-Does a little Nave dance-  
So how did you like the first round of the "Visiting each other's homes" ark? There will be three more chapters of this ark in the perspectives of each of the couples and then a massive end chapter for the ark during the Christmas period for the boys (I'm going to try and get it over 10000 words if I can) then after that there will be the last two story arks (The final answer ark which will answer all but one of your questions) then the finale ark. (Yes I've named them and yes, we will finally get to discover more about Edd's mysterious voice) followed by the last ever chapter! So the end is near(ish). Hooray!

Next time: Edd finally meets Kevin's father. How will he react?


	29. Chapter 29

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 29**

"Won't the hay get in places we don't want it to be?" Edd asked, really opposed to the idea even though he had been dragged along with it. Stupid Kevin and his stupid gravitational pull. Prince-charm should not be given to someone so diabolical.

"Not if we are careful." Kevin replied as he opened the wooden door with a squeak. "Besides this stable is clean, it's the extra one we keep just in case, and I had it especially cleaned for this occasion. I didn't want to fuck you in a room full of horse shit, I know how you get about germs."

Edd made a face at the idea that Kevin might consider such a thing if Edd didn't have such a logical aversion to disease-causing microorganisms. Still feeling a little queasy about the whole thing.

"Look Kevin I-"

"Even had the floors disinfected." Kevin added.

"Oh." Edd said. "That makes everything alright then." It really did.

The stable smelt as clean as Kevin had said it'd be which was the final bit of evidence Edd needed to settle his unrested heart and stop it from breaking free of the confines of his ribcage. Kevin, in the other hand, felt that it wasn't the reckless stable sex he had wanted, like after a horse ride or something just because they were too hot and bothered to get inside first; (like in gay cowboy movies and such) but he was okay with it. Clean was good too, he supposed having sex in a stable full of horses and their shit might not be as sexy as he had first envisioned it anyway.

The hay had all been swept to one side of the room and that left them all of the cold, clean floor to get down and dirty on. Edd was over thrilled, he'd probably leave with his back cold enough to store ice-cream on for several weeks.

Kevin sauntered over to the other side of the room and took a crop from the wall holding it in his hands. Edd's heart sank. "We aren't using that are we!?"

Kevin shook his head. "Relax, it's not for me." He said with a laugh and then he placed the crop in Edd's hand. "I want to try letting you be a little more dominant, it's for you."

Edd felt like Kevin had suffered a brain injury. "Me? Kevin have you met me? There is no way I can be the dominant one!"

kevin chuckled again. "Don't worry." He said, "You'll see later."

Edd didn't really know where Kevin was going with this, but he trusted him anyway. Kevin had never done anything too strange in the past, so Edd was fine with it.

He looked over to see that Kevin was taking his shirt off and revealing his lean muscles. "Now," He spoke to himself as he undressed completely, revealing his assets, hanging low and large with a patch of orange hair decorating above. Edd had never seen Kevin soft before, it was, strangely satisfying.

He walked over and smacked his lips over Edd's. "Let's do some role play." He said. "You can be some kind of cowboy, and you're coming in to ride your favorite horse." Kevin grinned, "But you'll have to saddle him up first."

Edd now knew where Kevin was going with this.

"Wait outside." He instructed, "Do exactly as I say throughout this whole ordeal and things should be dandy. Oh but, also remember you can use the safeword if you want, if things get too intense or something."

Edd nodded and began heading outside but Kevin spun around and grabbed his shoulder. "Wait. Get naked first."

"I can't go outside naked!"

"Yes you can." Kevin said smugly. "...If you want that is."

Edd sighed and rolled his eyes as he undressed and through his clothes on the floor. He smiled. "I'll just be out here, waiting for my horse to get ready." He said before he opened the door and stepped out shutting it behind him.

It was cold outside and he felt the chilly air on parts he didn't really want to feel air on. Edd laughed in the irony of the situation. Edd was naked in a open space, something he would definitely be against under any normal situation. Being decent was something Edd found important, and it was good to keep up a public image that did not involve the look of a naked body. But Edd had once again done something for one of Kevin's insane whims. On top of that, they were on private property, so Edd might feel vulnerable, but he wasn't breaking any laws.

Why did Kevin have that power over Edd? A simple request and he was willing to go against his own moral code to make the boy happy, not that that moral code had been very upstanding on it's own anyway. It seemed that this was just the way things had become. Edd's transition into the Academy had made a lot of changes in him, and he could hardly blame them all on Kevin. Changing was good, Edd was becoming a more rounded person. He may now have a sex life that he would never have dreamed of the day before he first got on that plane and he might have changed many of his morals and personal quirks, but it was for the better. He was more adjusted to life at the Academy now, and Edd felt, more adjusted as a person. After all, the likeliness that one will avoid germs is zero to none, it was illogical to try and avoid them, most people came into contact with germs all the time. The nakedness outside on the other hand... well let's just hope Kevin didn't expect that too often. Edd's moral, or perhaps personal conscious was suddenly screaming bloody murder at him.

"You can come in now, Edd." Kevin's voice called and Edd was more than happy to get his naked self inside, suddenly very self-conscious. Getting inside, he quickly forgot that as he saw Kevin, laying on the ground, with his hard dick slippery with lube, in his hands, his face red and his breathing heavy. When Kevin was lying on his back, the size of his penis was really put into perspective and Edd wondered how he had ever had that inside of him.

Edd remembered that he was meant to be role-playing but all of that was very awkward and strange with both of them naked and the current position Kevin was in. His hand tightened around the crop he had forgotten was in his hand as he stepped forward. He was soon standing next to Kevin, having no idea what to say or do and suddenly filled with an overwhelming desire to run away and hide under Kevin's bed.

"Are you gonna get on, dork?" Kevin teased, "I didn't saddle myself up for nothing."

Edd noticed that he had a brown cock strap on as it tightened around the base of his penis and secure his balls close to his body. Edd noticed the bottle of lube that was lying on it's side next to Kevin and picked it up. "Suppose I better get equipped for the ride then." He said, hoping it was adequate in their roleplay.

He plonked himself down onto the cold floor and grumbled slightly as he poured the lube over his fingers and pushed them inside himself. It didn't take him long to work his way up to two fingers because even if he wasn't used to it by now, Kevin and he had had sex just the night before. Edd gasped and felt his face flush with heat. Kevin liped his lips and resisted the urge to stroke his cock to the sight.

Edd added another finger, just to make sure he would be alright, but soon felt he was stretched enough to take Kevin. He clambered over on hands and knees and swung a leg over, brushing it over the head of Kevin's dick while he did so and making the larger boy hiss at the sensation.

"That's a good boy." Edd pretend coaxed. "Stay still now."

He reached a hand beneath him and gripped Kevin's cock at the base, guiding it as he lowered himself down onto the large member. He felt the warm head pressed against his entrance, slippery from all the lube they had both used, it slipped up between Edd's cheeks instead of inside of him.

"Don't buck, I told you to stay still." Edd tutted and Kevin made a grunting sound as he smiled widely, his eyes telling Edd that he was doing a good at the role play.

Edd realigned Kevin's cock and this time the head pushed through making Edd gasp pleasantly.

"He's a big boy." Kevin said seductively. "Just be careful."

Edd nodded as he slid all the way down, feeling a new kind of pleasure at being penetrated at his own pace and making a few enraptured noises to prove how great it felt. When it was all the way inside him, he felt Kevin's cock stretching him out. It was so deep, Edd didn't realise how deep it actually went and it was so firm and hard and felt incredible. He just wanted to fuck himself with it and was about to when Kevin spoke.

"Now, you've still got the crop haven't you?" Kevin asked as Edd looked at him with shimmering, lust filled eyes.

"Yes." He breathed in response.

"When you ride a horse you tell it how fast to go, so I want you to give me a good whack with that if you want me to go faster." Kevin smirked.

"Kevin no! It will hurt!" Edd said, shocked.

"Yeah, that's kinda the point dork, ever heard of a masochist?"

Edd stared and blinked at Kevin and said nothing for a while before replying finally, "You are a very complicated sexual being, Kevin." Kevin smirked and Edd tightened his grip on the crop in his hand. "But I don't think I have it in me to hit you with this."

Kevin nodded. "I thought you might say that, but can you give it a go anyway, this whole giving you power thing is really turning me on. You're so fucking cute."

"O-ok." Edd raised the crop in his hand and talked himself up, trying to build courage enough to do it, but as he swung the leather down, his muscle's suddenly became weak and by the time it connected with Kevin's skin it was barely more than a tap.

Kevin grabbed Edd's head and pulled him into a sloppy kiss. "Fucking hell you're adorable." He said. "Fine, I'll control how fast we go, put that thing down."

Edd was glad to be rid of it as he threw it away as if it carried the plague and refocused his attention on Kevin.

"Move." Kevin commanded and Edd was happy to comply as he slowly brought himself up, his legs trembling as he felt the friction of Kevin's hard dick sliding out of him. He groaned a lot, having taught himself by now that the louder the better and then he slammed himself down again causing loud grunt of pleasure to leave both of them.

"Fuck, Edd. Do that again." Kevin breathed and Edd listened, performing the same slow drag up and then quick and sudden drop down. Kevin loved it, and it felt great for Edd too, but he soon lost patients and his self control went down the drain. Each time he raised up he got faster, not wanting to wait before he felt the pleasure of Kevin slamming into him. Soon he had created a fluid rhythm and had given up the suspense game altogether.

Kevin chuckled as he reached out his hands and placed them firmly on Edd's ass, squeezing it as he used them to guide Edd up and down. It felt good to have Kevin grabbed his arse and pulling him down into Kevin's dick. Edd really did like it better when Kevin took control.

Kevin began thrusting up into Edd was well as he continued to drop Edd onto his dick.

"Y-yes! Kevin like that. Harder!" Edd moaned and gasped as Kevin complied, thrusting in harder and faster, it felt great for him to as he felt the force of their bodies collide the way he liked so much. More of his dick got in at this angle too which made it all the more hot and wet as Edd's ass hugged his cock tightly.

"Fuck Edd, you're so tight. How are you still this tight after how many times I've fucked you?"

Edd didn't have an answer so instead he leaned forward and rubbed his now hard cock on Kevin's stomach, the friction causing him even more pleasure. It was stick from Edd's precum and hot but he continued to do it anyway, lust and pleasure overriding his brain.

"E-Edd! Gonna cum!" Kevin said with barely any warning as he ejaculated with a wavering moan.

He was tired and wanted to curl up and cuddle Edd but he wouldn't let Edd go without cumming so he continued to thrust up into the smaller boy making him wail.

And then, the door opened.

The surprised look of one of Kevin's maids could be seen through the light filtering in the now open door. "K-Kevin." She said uncomfortably. "Your father wants you."

"Great." Kevin responded.

Edd expected a very awkward but necessary disengagement followed by a walk of shame back into Kevin's house but instead Kevin grabbed his arse again and started thrusting even harder. Kevin did not seem to care that somebody was watching he just went for it. And it felt REALLY good.

Edd was beginning to wonder whether he had any shame anymore. Why was this exciting? Please, no. Edd couldn't have some kind of kink for having an audience.

No.

Definitely not.

No he - Edd had a kink for having an audience during sex.

Kevin thrusted harder and deeper and Edd found himself deliberately moaning louder, despite all his better judgements simply because he wanted the lady to hear. It... turned him on. It was an unsettling development and Edd would need to introspect like a fucking king in order to get to the bottom of it. But then he focused on the pleasure as he raised a hand to stroke himself in time with Kevin's thrusts as he worked himself up into orgasm.

"Yes, Kevin!"

It was after all of that personal-ethics crisis, audience augmented sex that Edd had his walk of shame. In the moment having the girl watch had been... nice. But now she was walking next to them on the way back to the house (or castle, whatever. It's not like owning a castle was a big deal or anything) and looking just as uncomfortable as Edd felt. Kevin seemed to be giddy though, holding his arms behind his head and smiling to himself. Edd was glad that Kevin could wallow in his masculine pride, but the rest of them were having a hard time. He could at least pretend that he wasn't so smug about getting caught.

Edd happily departed the presence of the maid once they reached the castle and Kevin lead Edd back into his room where he gave him some clothes to change into. Aparently tey were going to have lunch with Kevin's father, the king. To say Edd was nervous was an understatement, but that was okay. He was okay.

"Edd, if my dad gives you a hard time I'll get you straight out of there. You don't have to put up with his shit."

"Well that comment was only a little foreboding." Edd bit his lip. "Kevin. I'm scared."

Kevin sighed and pulled his boyfriend into a hug. "I don't blame you." He said squeezing Edd tight.

Edd felt so safe in Kevin's arms, it was something that Kevin knew how to do. With a simple touch, Edd could feel like everything would be okay. He felt tension roll out of him as he placed his head on Kevin's chest.

"You'll be okay" He said. "I'll make sure of it."

Edd nodded and pulled away from Kevin, feeling considerably less nervous though he was still suffering an all out attack on his heart by the army of anxiety. Regardless he still had to meet him, so he calmed his nerves and gripped onto Kevin's hand as they walked out of his room and toward the dining area.

Kevin didn't let go of Edd's hand as they walked into the room and it seemed that Kevin's father wasn't very happy about it. He looked up with haughty eyes which made Edd feel rather uncomfortable but Kevin just gripped his hand tighter, only breaking away when they both sat down.

"The maid told me she found you in the stable." His father said and then in a lower voice, added "And what you were doing."

Edd stared at the ground, very embarrassed and flustered.

"So what is his name?" The King asked, and Edd wasn't surprised when he heard the entitlement in his tone.

"My names Edd Marion." Edd replied.

"So Eddward, what is it that your parents do?" Kevin's father asked, a gaze that meant business passing over him. Going straight for the throat it seemed, Edd instantly resented it. He knew that the King was just trying to belittle Edd by passive-aggressively pointing out all the ways that he was better. Edd also noticed the man had taken the liberty to use his full name despite the fact Edd could have easily just be 'Edd'.

"My mother's a lawyer." Edd lied, he was too angry to process the ethics of that decision though. He just wanted to prove to Kevin's father that he wasn't worthless...through lies. So maybe in hindsight it wasn't such a choice plan of action but in the moment Edd was adamant of, well, winning.

"And your father?" Damn, Edd didn't have a preset "rich job" for his father. He'd have to make one up on the spot.

"He's an orthopedic surgeon." Edd replied. He needed to work on his impulse responses, that was a rather strange duo, what would a lawyer want with a bone doctor?

"I see." The king replied but his tone held no appreciation for the occupations Edd had described. "Now what are their real jobs?"

Edd stiffened in his chair. Of course they were lies, of course he knew that. Edd was so stupid sometimes.

He felt Kevin's hand find his under the table and looked over to see Kevin giving him a reassuring look and it calmed him down a bit. He just had to think, and not make any more stupid mistakes. It was just Kevin's father, who happened to be the king. No big deal really.

Seeing that Edd was now more interested in Kevin than himself, Kevin's father changed the subject. "How about you Edd? What job are you after?"

Edd wanted to go into law and become a lawyer himself. That's why he decided to give his mother that job. Should he continue with the lie and say he wanted to follow in his mother's footsteps? Should he simply say that he wanted to be a lawyer or should he change it altogether?

"I do hope you don't plan on being Kevin's courtesan for the rest of your life."

Edd didn't have time to get angry himself because Kevin seemed to be flying off the handle as it was (or so the contemporary people would say. Damn contemporary people, always infecting Edd's inner thoughts.)

"Shut your fucking hole dad!" Kevin growled as he slammed his palms into the table. "Edd is my boyfriend and I'm in fucking love with him okay?"

Edd might have taken some time out of his busy schedule to feel great or embarrassed by what Kevin had just said at any other time, but obviously he couldn't then. Kevin was fuming, irked to the bone by what his father had just said, and they were stuck in a glowering stare-off. It was quite unsettling, Edd felt very uncomfortable.

"I would assume some boy I found my son fucking in a stable was a prostitute. How was I to know you were dating?" His voice was cold and sarcastic.

Kevin grabbed his wine glass and through it with all his strength at his fathers face. The man was just able to raise his hand to stop the glass before he was forced into needing plastic surgery. Honestly it was very reckless, Kevin must have known the dangers of doing something like that, which was especially obvious when Edd saw how the glass shattered on the old man's arm. He could have blinded him, easily and caused some serious damage. Edd was also sure that, as rude as he was, he deserved to have his cheeks firmly attached to his cheek bones and not sliced off like chicken fillets and laying on the floor.

Kevin didn't waste anymore time though as he saw his father raise from his seat, his face red with anger. He grabbed a serrated knife and Edd thought he might barf. If they didn't leave soon they would kill each other! Edd's stomach swirled and he felt incredibly worried.

_Haha! I hope they both die! Die right in front of you and prove that nobody you love will ever stay._

Edd was not about to deal with the voice on top of everything.

"Kevin fucking move!" Edd wailed in a voice so vulnerable and scared that Kevin couldn't even remember his own anger. He grabbed Edd's wrist and pulled him away from the table as quickly as he could as he began to run toward the door.

"Get back here Kevin!" The king's low and gruff voice called from behind but of course it only made them run faster as they burst through the door.

_Yes, run run as fast as you can! Edd can't do what even toddlers can!_

That was a horrible rhyme! You cannot rhyme the same word! Edd would not let a piece of his brain make such a horrible parody of the gingerbread man, it made a mockery of the nursery arts!

Edd's little tiff with himself soon became irrelevant though as he had to focus on where he was currently headed. Kevin's hand was now in his and it was clammy with sweat as he lead Edd through corridors and past cleaning staff, all of which had alarmed expressions on their faces. Edd's heart was thumping in his chest and his legs seemed to be moving of their own accord.

He spared a glance behind him to see that Kevin's father was in fact in pursuit. It was frightening, especially when he was brandishing that dinner knife like a murder weapon. Edd was afraid it might become a murder weapon! They had to go faster and lose him. But where would they go? It's not like they could run away anywhere! Kevin's father was the king! He'd have them drawn and quartered for christs sakes!

_See Edd? There's nowhere to run. You'll be caught eventually and when that happens. _The voice finished it's sentence with a gasp and a cackle that sent shivers down Edd's spine.

He wanted to ask Kevin if they'd be alright and get some kind of reassurance but in their current state he knew there was no time.

Kevin lead Edd down a couple more corridors before the sped through a door which Kevin closed quickly behind him and locked, his breath catching in his throat as he panted. Edd looked to see they were in another stable, this one was inhabited though by horses. Kevin planned to use one.

He moved away from the door, not wasting much time as he grabbed a horse by it's reins and lead it out into the middle of the stable where he left it to go open the door that would let them out.

"Kevin I don't know how to ride a horse." Edd said, a little worried.

Kevin smiled. "I could make a comment about how well you rode one earlier." Edd blushed. "But don't worry, I know how, so you can get on one with me."

Kevin held the horse steady as he dropped a foot into one of the little pockets for them and climbed atop the horse. He held out his hand and Edd took it as he too was pulled up onto it.

"Now just hold on tight to me. She shouldn't buck, but just in case, be careful."

Edd nodded and wrapped his arms around Kevin's waist, holding tight and before Edd could get comfortable, the Kevin slapped the reins down causing the horse to propel forward, running at high speed out of the door and through the expanse of land behind Kevin's castle.

They travelled further than Edd would have expected and up to a tower, much smaller than Kevin's castle, smaller than a house even; it looked like a watch tower. They dismounted the horse and Kevin tied it up to a tree.

_See! We could escape! _Edd told his voice, it didn't respond so he asked Kevin, "Where are we?"

"Far away from my Dad." Kevin said. "I used to come here a lot as a kid but I haven't been around so much anymore." He smiled, "The view from up there is great, but I don't want us to go up there just yet."

Kevin got a phone out of his pocket and dialed a number, pressing the phone to his ear. "Hey, yeah." He spoke to the person on the other end. "Think you could bring us some sleeping blankets and shit. That'd be great. Thanks."

Edd looked at Kevin with mixed emotions. He thought staying out for the night might be very fun and interesting depending on what kind of wildlife they might see and this view Kevin was talking about but Edd had an undying affiliation for soft beds. He didn't want to sleep in a sleeping bag.

Kevin rolled his eyes, "You are such a predictable idiot. It will be fun, don't worry."

Edd smiled bashfully. "Okay, Kevin."

It was nightfall by the time Kevin's butler brought the provisions Kevin had requested which was two sleeping bags and some food because they hadn't eaten any at lunch because of a certain somebody. Edd was okay though, it was a nice night and he was going to be spending it with Kevin so he could deal with the outdoor sleep, he supposed.

Kevin bid the butler farewell as he travelled away in a golf buggy and turned around to face Edd with an excited smile. "Let's go." He said.

Kevin lead him inside and up and winding staircase of stone before they reached a balcony looking out over an expanse of shrubland. The night sky was littered with stars and the view was very beautiful. The moon was full that night, a wolf howled to pay it's respects and then the night was silent, save for a stray chirp here and there.

"It is very beautiful Kevin." Edd said in slight awe.

"You know what's even more beautiful?" Kevin asked.

"Don't say it Kevin, I'll be forced to cut your tongue out." Edd warned jokingly.

Kevin chuckled. "Isn't that my job? I am a prince." He reminded.

"Well, shall we say it is usually your job, but sometimes your judgement is clouded and I'll have to make decisions for you."

"My judgment is clouded huh?" Kevin mused. "Guess that explains what I'm about to do."

With that he pounced on Edd and lifted him up into the air.

"No!" He giggled.

"Sorry Edd, I'm a crazy person."He said as he began running back down the stairs and out onto the grass where he dove into the ground, Edd in arms ad then started tickling him.

"Kevin! Haha, that's cheating!"

Kevin kept going with a smirk. "Who's cheating? And who's making the rules that I am breaking?"

"I am! Haha stop!"

Kevin decided to listen that time but only because it was to lean down and kiss Edd, silencing him and his giggles.

The night was silent again.

"Kevin?" Edd asked, "Did you mean what you said to your father?"

Kevin's face scrunched up a bit and he leaned back and sat down. "Edd, I don't want to upset you, but I really don't know. I said that in the moment."

"Because I do Kevin." Edd interrupted.

"What?"

"I love you, Kevin."

"I know, Edd. And, well I think I might have meant what I said, but just give me some time to figure it out first."

Edd nodded. He was disappointed, yes but he could see where Kevin was coming from. Edd would much rather it be sincere and wait for it than get it earlier.

_He'll never say it because it isn't true._

"Shut up voice." Edd muttered.

Kevin looked confused, "What?"

"Nothing, let's just go to bed."

Kevin felt bad for not being able to say it back, but he just couldn't. Whenever he thought about it he felt his insides twist up. He knew he did. Of course he fucking loved Edd, he thought that was obvious by the way he treated him. So did he really have to say it. Today had just been too much for Kevin, too much had happened. Perhaps sleeping would be best.

They climbed the stairs together again but the mood was very sombre. Not at all like it had been before, it was depressing.

They reached the balcony and climbed into their respective sleeping bags.

"Night."

"Night."

And that's when it got awkward. Kevin couldn't sleep, how could he when he could tell Edd was feeling disappointed and he also knew that he couldn't do anything to make Edd feel better and it was because of his own weakness. To top it all off the feeling of helplessness made Kevin want to dominate Edd, and prove that he still had power, but who would that help. There were better ways to deal with his issues. He just had to say it. Three words. Simple.

"You awake Edd?"

"Yeah."

Fuck, he was secretly hoping Edd would be asleep. "I, um." Shit he couldn't say it. "I might not be able to say that now, but I can say that you are my boyfriend and I care about you a lot. So that has to count for something, right?"

And Kevin was officially the biggest idiot on the face of the earth. It was three words, why could he say them? Edd probably hated him even more!

But Edd was smiling to himself in his sleeping blanket, unbeknownst to Kevin. He really was useless, Edd should have expected as much. He crawled out of his bag and into Kevin's surprising him.

"Thanks." He said as he cuddle into Kevin's chest which had suddenly become knot free. He was so glad.

"Night Edd." Kevin repeated, a lot happier that time.

"Goodnight, boyfriend."

* * *

Hiya guys. So due to the fact that there is no way that was going to be the only interaction we have with Kevin's dad for the rest of the series (Yeah, after this story arch he doesn't come back XD) AW has been extended yet again, by a chapter or two. Just to explore Kevin's daddy some more. Anyway hope you liked this chapter. Remember to review. -kisses-

Next time: Jim and Plank go on an adventure.


	30. Chapter 30

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 30**

"But Plank I can't wait! I need to know what happens!" Jim said desperately.

"How you managed to read it all in one night is one, is what I'm more concerned about." Plank replied with slight amusement at Jim's newfound obsession.

"I didn't sleep," Jim admitted with a mischievous grin.

"Aren't you tired?"

"Maybe a little."

Plank pulled Jim into a hug. "Jeez you're an idiot, aren't you?"

Jim grinned big at Plank. He was more than happy to stay up all night if it was to read that specific work of art. The characters were all so unique! JIm got lost with them and laughed and cried and got pulled along on a great journey. Now he was in the mood to go on one himself, but he wasn't quite in the mood for the kind of adventure that happened in mediums and had to do with the reproductive system of all existence.

"Plank, I want to go on an adventure." Jim said matter-of-factly.

"An Adventure? Where to?"

"The amusement park."

Of course Jim wanted to go to the amusement park. Where else would Jim want to go? People were going to think that Plank was his father or something if they showed up there together. But Jim wanted to go and Plank wanted Jim to be happy so there was really no questioning it.

"To the amusement park."

Jim was no longer worried about being away from Edd and so it was easy for him to excite himself again, like he usually was. He apparently found it fan-fucking-tastic that they were going to be taken to an amusement park by limo and he was pointing out trees that he hadn't seen before as if they were sprouting wings and flying away and just as Jim was returning to his usual self, Plank was too, he loved it. Jim's ability to make everything seem immensely more amazing than it actually was had always been something that drew Plank to Jim. Plank's life was sombre and boring, since he hadn't been very good at making friendships before he met Jim, he spent most of his time going to class or working out, it was tiresome. Then along came Jim and his world was instantly brighter. He had said a bunch of stupid things and embarrassed himself a million times as he tried to figure himself out all over again. Jim had really made him grow, and Plank was just now remembering it.

Relishing in the memories, Plank got the desire to touch Jim and so pulled him into a random hug, an act he had gotten used to doing to stop himself from kissing the smaller boy. Then he remembered, he could do that now.

Plank pulled back and stared into Jim's eyes for a bit before he adjusted Jim's face angle with a thumb on his chin (really only because that was what happened in the yaoi and Plank had no other frame of reference for kissing boys) and brushing his lips softly against Jim's.

Jim responded with surprise then tentativeness and it was adorable. Plank was just glad both of them were new to the whole thing otherwise he might cop some shit for bad kissing or yaoi-chin-grabbing but they were both in their first ever relationship, so he didn't have to worry about things like that. They could grow together and that was great.

The ferris wheel could be seen long before the actual amusement park itself and it predictably got Jim even more pumped for getting there.

Soon the car pulled into the carpark and the two boys clambered out of the backseat. Plank said goodbye to the driver and informed the man that Plank'd call him when they needed to go home he then turned around to face Jim. His eyes were practically sparkling with excitement.

"Plank I'm so excited!" Jim said. Gee, do you think he might be excited?

"Yeah, I know." Plank said with a warm smile. "Why don't we get inside then?"

Jim dragged Plank all over the place, it was really, really exhausting. He didn't realise that when he went, not only did they look like father and son but Plank felt like Jim's dad! He would suggest that he was only getting taken along for his money if Jim wasn't using his own. But he never actually did anything except for get on a couple of rides with Jim that he dragged them both to. That's not to say Plank wasn't enjoying himself, on the contrary, seeing Jim so happy about everything was a pleasure, but Plank had managed to get himself more tired than when he did one of his five kilometre runs.

So they went and got food. Jim didn't seem to mind because he was hungry too so Plank was happy.

"What do you want?"

"Fairy floss?"

Plank gave him an incredulous look. "For lunch?"

Jim smiled large "We're at an amusement park you're supposed to eat unhealthy!" He giggled.

Plank nodded. "I suppose you're right." If anyone were to know, it'd be Jim. Plank wasn't very good with those kinds of things.

After lunch Jim dragged Plank around some more and Plank found he could occupy himself by ogling his boyfriend from behind. He only felt a little guilty about doing it, less so now that they were actually dating, and passed it off as him dawdling because he was bored. The fact that when he lagged behind he could see Jim's butt had nothing to do with it, nothing at all.

But, while he was on the subject of butts, Plank might as well take some time to explain why Jim's is so great right? He learnt from Nat that a common courtesy of butt watching was to record your observations to share with others. "Sharing is caring" he'd say. "One butt for all or all for one butt."

Jim's was round as it was contained in the tight cargo shorts the smaller boy had decided to wear today. It seemed to have a lot of...mass? Okay, Plank wasn't very good at this butt sharing thing Nat was always on about, but it was a good butt and that's really all there is to say on the matter. It also happened to jiggle a bit while Jim walked, but who was watching out for minor details like that?

Plank sighed. He really didn't know how to boyfriend. It's not like he had ever been in a relationship before, and previously that had been reassuring but now it was just depressing. What was it that you were meant to do with your boyfriend at an amusement park. Come to think of it, what were you meant to do on your _first ever date with him._

Plank was almost certain there was an unwritten rule about going to movies on first dates but he wasn't too fussed. He just wanted to know how you actually dealt with a social situation like that. Damn, this was stressful. Plank took out a cigarette and lit it up in his lips.

Jim turned around to tell Plank where he wanted to go next and that's when he saw the cigarette and his brows crossed.

Plank sighed, expecting him to come and chide him for it, or try and snatch it away (which might be funny to watch). He wasn't in the mood to deal with people mediating his choice of drug use. But, to Planks surprise all Jim did was hug his legs and ask. "What's wrong Plank?"

Well fuck. There was definitely a reason they were dating.

"It's nothing, come on, let's just go to the next ride." Plank said dismissively.

Jim looked even more concerned. "Did I do something wrong?"

_Fuck, now you've done it you giant asshole_, Plank told himself. _He thinks he did something wrong now. Ah, shit._

"No way Jim. You're absolutely fine."

Jim puffed his cheeks out in a way that was absolutely adorable. "Then what is it?"

Plank suddenly became flustered. Wow, Jim was a fucking cutie. Of course Plank had always known that but fucking shit. He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly. There was just no way he could lie to a face like that, or stay soft for that matter and Plank did not want to travel down that road. It looked as if he had to explain his insecurities to Jim. Great.

He lead Jim over to a bench and sat him down, where he sat next to him. Plank had brought them both cokes just for the occasion which he took a sip of as he tried to think of any way he could get out of explaining his feelings.

Yeah, sure Plank may have blurted a lot of strange things out to Jim in the past.

_I want to have sex with you._

_I love you, Jim._

But that was just it, they were on impulse. When Plank sat down and had to think about sharing his soul with someone, he felt like he might shrivel up and die. It was just so damn awkward, Plank preferred to just say nothing and show his emotions through his actions but Jim was a sit down and talk about it kind of guy.

He sighed again and resisted the urge to dive into the bin and retrieve the cigarette he had put out in an attempt to look cool, or show his dedication or whatever. It seemed like the gesture went right over Jim's head though (no pun intended) so he was really craving some nicotine.

"Jim... I -"

Damn, he really couldn't say it. As soon as he tried he choked up and ended up frowning at Jim to try and show his frustration. He had already told Jim he loved him so why was it so difficult to say he was feeling a bit out of place?

Jim rested his hand over Plank's like Edd had often done to his when he was younger and said with a smile. "Take your time, Plank. Opening up to people, even your boyfriend can be difficult."

What did Plank do to deserve such an angel? Jim was just perfect in every single way, why could he just tell him the fucking truth? Plank always knew he was weak but this was a new low. Not being able to talk to your family bery well after what had happened, Plank could let slip, but Jim. Plank was making Jim worry and it was because of his inability to say how he was feeling.

Memories rushed back from when Nat had done the same.

_"You should have told him."_

_"Why should I have told him, Plank?" Nat asked condescendingly._

_Plank's eyes narrowed as he stared Nat down. He hadn't expected Nat to be so bitter about it, but it was too late to back down now. Besides that if he didn't say anything, no one would and Nat had a habit of getting carried away with things._

_"Because you are making him worry. You can't keep secrets from him like that."_

In truth, back then Plank hadn't really been angry at Nat for keeping secrets from Jim, he was angry at himself. And he was also probably jealous because it was so easy for Nat to get close to Jim. Plank had a pretty major crush on him back then he supposed, still did, only difference was now it was reciprocated. But that wasn't the point, he had been angry back then at himself for his inability to express himself properly and now he was in the same dilema. Back then he had someone else to blame, but not now.

He had to man up himself and tell Jim that, "I'm afraid I might ruin our relationship if I take one wrong turn, so I'd rather not try at all, that way I can at least know exactly why it failed."

Not exactly what Plank had been planning to say, he planned to leave a good deal of that out and just say "I'm feeling insecure about where our relationship is at". It seemed Plank really was only good at getting himself into deeper shit. He was the one that had wanted it, wasn't he? He had waited all this time, watching Jim from afar and protecting him and waiting for the right moment to say something; loving him and worrying about him. And now he was going to through that all away just because he was afraid?

Plank had told Jim that he wasn't a replacement for his brother, and that was true but that didn't mean Plank wouldn't fear losing him the same way. He was still hung up about it, still afraid to speak his mind for fear of it escalating into something he couldn't control and that's all it had ever been. Plank was so stupid, he wasn't ready to ask Jim out. And now, Jim had to put up with his shit because he was such an idiot about it. Fuck Plank wanted a cigarette; needed a cigarette.

"Oh Plank." Jim said in a pitying tone. "Ivan "Plank" Luzi. I like you a lot, and I understand completely why you're feeling the way you are. But you don't have to be afraid."

Plank looked at Jim with curious eyes. He had been getting his brain ready to numb out everything so that he could indulge in alcohol, smokes, studded leather and rock bands again, like he had last time, but it seemed he might not need to.

"We're both probably going to make mistakes. No, we are both going to make mistakes." Jim corrected. "But the worst mistake a person can make is being too afraid to try from fear of making any mistake at all."

Jim giggled in a way that betrayed the maturity of his words. Plank would hyperbolize and liken the experience to listening to a baby lecture about post-modern existentialism. "Plank I told you before that I was too afraid to take the next step with us but I went for it."

Jim's eyes suddenly became ablaze with passion all of a sudden as he stared at Plank. For a moment, the larger boy thought Jim might be looking into his soul or something, it was really intense. "Don't tell me that was a mistake because it wasn't."

His words sent shivers down Planks back. Jim was so serious about their relationship it was almost frightening. No it was frightening. Not because he didn't want the relationship or for Jim to be serious about it but because of how crazy it was that someone actually cared about him that much. It just blew Plank's mind. Brain-splode.

Jim continued when Plank said nothing. "Let's not worry about making it a perfect relationship, in fact let's focus on making it imperfect." Jim stood up and held his hand out to Plank "Let's make a bunch of mistakes together."

Yes, that was somehow motivational, don't ask Plank why because he didn't know. He just knew that he was taking Jim's hand and following after the smaller boy as he ran. He'd follow him to the ends of the world, and Plank knew it. He didn't even focus on where it was that they were going until they were already on it.

Jim had taken them to a rollercoaster and they were climbing in and waiting for the ride to go up.

"Have you ever been on one of these before?" Plank asked.

"Yeah, once when I was a little younger. I remember really liking it."

The coaster began to travel up slowly.

"Oh good because I haven't been on one before."

Jim smiled big. "You're in for a treat."

Plank was slightly off put by the smile but shrugged it off as the roller coaster continued to climb at a snail-like pace. He had done plenty of scarier things at boot camp so he didn't think it would be that big of a deal - HOLY FUCKING SHIT.

Jim was screaming and cackling with joy as the roller coaster sped down while Plank was shiting his noble pants. His stomach felt like it had made it's way up through his chest and was now residing in his throat as they went down. He couldn't even bring himself to scream, he just looked over at Jim with a white face which only made the other boy cackle even louder.

Soon they reached the bottom of the drop and the ride slowed down as the began to climb again.

"What the fuck was that?" Plank asked, fear clear on his face. Jim gave Plank a coy smile. "It was a rollercoaster silly."

"Don't act all cute with me! How did you enjoy that? That was fucking terrifying!"

Jim giggled again and placed his hand over Planks again. "I'm glad you're talking and sharing your mind. Even if it is out of fear."

"..."

"Here comes another one." Jim said and then they were swooshing downhill again.

Before Plank could freak out he felt Jim lifting his hand in Jim's own until both were high in the air. Time had seemed like it had slowed down almost, just for that moment.

"Scream." Jim said with a smile and Plank listened taking a deep breath and - _WHOOSH!_

The two boys sped down next to each other, hands held high above their heads as they screamed together. The force of Planks scream seemed to push his stomach back down into his stomach and he was suddenly enjoying himself. It was a thrill, his body filled with adrenaline like when he went for a run but this time he wasn't scared he might end up dying by the end of it.

When they got to the loop de loop, he had a little trouble. But other than that he had fun screaming his guts out and well, making noise for once. Jim had noticed that Planks actually had quite a powerful voice when he used it in it's full weight and he was glad he was finally able to hear it, even if it was only in the form of screaming accompanied by incoherent babble.

Plank felt alive in a weird way and he rode the roller coaster three times until his voice was hoarse and it felt great. He hadn't let go like that in such a long time and it made him want to run and jump and somersault and pirouette like a fucking ballerina away into the sunset.

"That was fucking awesome!" Plank yelled as they got off and began to make their way back to the entrance as it was time to go home.

Jim smiled "I'm glad you could enjoy yourself."

Plank's inhibitions were out the window. He was more inebriated than he ever had been on alcohol. He felt outside of himself, it was a strange feeling. So he turned suddenly to Jim and kissed him.

Jim was surprised at first but soon returned the kiss happily, sloppy and wet and likely causing everyone who happened to witness to feel uncomfortable at the sight of their adolescent slobbering. Plank picked Jim up and threw him over his shoulders.

"Let's go home" he said before running as fast he could with Jim cackling again on top of his shoulders.

* * *

Hey guys! Sorry it was kind of a short chapter, but some more that will soon follow will make up for that. :D  
Fun facts: roller coaster was a metaphor. 2. The first line originally alluded to a problem that occurred in the then current update of Homestuck, but seeing as it took me longer to finish than I thought (due to me working on the cover page) another update happened and that particular problem was solved so I took it out.

Next time: Another parental meeting takes place! Hopefully Rave will have better luck than Edd.


	31. Chapter 31

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 31**

Nat moaned as he came onto Rave's stomach and felt his legs go wobbly in the aftermath of orgasm. He caught himself on the kitchen table and took some heavy breathes in to keep himself from collapsing onto the floor. Rave held his hand on his stomach as he lay on the table, his chest moving up and down.

"We should fuck on the table more often." Nat said with a satisfied, breathy tone.

Rave frown at him "Unless I'm topping you can fuck off with that idea." Rave sat up and groaned in pain "My back feels like an entire class was practicing karate on it you fucking asshole."

Nat smirked. "You can fuck me on the table if you want, I won't mind."

"Yeah whatever." Rave said, dismissing Nat with a flip of his wrist. "I'm having a shower."

Rave walked down his hall and into the bathroom where he turned the shower on full blast and stepped inside, sighing as he felt the hot water rush over him. They had used just about every surface in Rave's house to have sex on since Nat had decided he was coming for a visit, the couches, the floor, in the laundry, the kitchen, the shower, Rave's bedroom (obviously), his toilet and his lounge room but being fucked on a table had to be the worst of them. Rave was open to trying new things but the table was a bad idea, as he had explained, his back fucking killed.

Rave stretched, feeling tension leave his back muscles. It wasn't like the sex was bad sex, Rave particularly liked having sex with Nat if he was honest with himself, but it was all they ever did. Rave hardly had time to practice his singing or acting because Nat was always finding some new sexual thing for them to do and Rave was getting bored of it.

Weren't good relationships supposed to have depth or was that just a fantasy Rave had given himself? Was Nat capable of having intelligent conversation with at all? The shower head hissed and Rave sighed, but for a different reason than when he entered the shower. Nat was passionate and it didn't seem to matter how much Rave insulted him or took his anger out on him, he always stayed and he always loved Rave. That's what Rave liked about him, that was why he had let Nat in so far. He felt, safe and that was important to Rave; he didn't think telling Nat things would end in betrayal. But was that enough on it's own?

Rave turned the shower of and reached for a towel as he wrapped it around his waist and grabbed a hair dryer. Was it really possible for a long term relationship to stay intact with only those qualities. Despite his confession prior Rave was having doubts. It wasn't like he didn't like Nat or anything, sure Nat could be so annoying Rave would be ready to rip his head off and put it on a pike to make an example of the fate of people who got on Rave's bad side, but he really did think Nat was a cool guy when he tried. But Nat wasn't always trying, sometimes he could act mature, Rave had seen it but half the time he was being a flippant asshole.

Hair dry, Rave started rubbing the towel over his body to catch the stray droplets of water there. Maybe it was something Rave would just have to learn to accept? He wasn't naive enough to think that their relationship would last forever, nothing lasted forever. In fact it was very likely that they would break up; high school relationships are usually tests, kind of like dipping a toe into water to test if it's the right temperature to jump in or not. They were practice really and people changed a lot throughout their even though he knew all of this and a part of him was telling him to just dump Nat now and get it over with, he didn't want to let go.

It was okay if he just let things be for now right? It wasn't weak to accept what he could get and continue on with his life. Just as long as he put priority into his acting he'd be ok. He could see Nat when he needed to wind down and then they'd break up when Rave had to move out of state for his acting career. Nothing wrong with making lemonade out of lemons right.

So then why did the idea make Rave feel like shit?

"Hey." Nat's voice called through the door and Rave was filled with contempt. He had impeccable timing, couldn't he just leave Rave alone for two seconds!?

"What do you want?" He asked coldly.

"I want you to come with me to my house. And I want you to meet my parents." Nat answered and it made Rave even more irritated.

"Why won't you just drop it already? I'm not going to go to your fucking house and play happy family."

"But why can't we play happy family?" Nat asked with desperation in his voice. "Aren't you happy?"

Rave thought of lying for and saying that everything was fine. It would avoid some unpleasantries, but Rave was too bitter for that. He rushed over to the door and pulled it open with force. "And if I'm not?"

Nat looked taken aback, not really expecting such an abrasive response. "What have I done wrong?"

Wow, Rave really couldn't deal with that wounded puppy look right now. How the fuck was he meant to reply to that? Fucking stupid Nat making him feel guilty.

He pushed passed saying "Just, I'm going out." He said as he rushed into his room and threw some clothes on before walking toward the door.

"I'll be here when you get back." Nat said and Rave paused for a moment but then he continued on out the door.  
Walking briskly and in no particular direction, Rave began to rant and rave inside his own head. Fucking Nat, couldn't he see that Rave was confused and needed some space? Why did he have to meet his parents anyway, it's not like they actually mattered, Rave and Nat were dating, not getting married. The whole idea was ridiculous, Rave didn't have to meet Nat's mum and that was final.

On top of that, he had been feeling insecure about their relationship and maybe if Nat wasn't such a pushy bastard Rave would have told him that! Or maybe not, but the point is: Nat wasn't making it any easier. Rave needed to reevaluate what he wanted and whether he could be fucking bothered dealing with Nat's shit to get it.

He hurried as fast as his legs could carry him until he reached a place he didn't even know he was heading for. The orphanage.

Rave sighed, he supposed this was his way of "getting back to his roots." Of course to anyone that wasn't Rave returning to the doorstep you were abandoned on on your birthday might not be a favorable idea when one was upset, but it was. Rave hated feeling like his anger or bitterness was unjustified, he liked believing that all the shit talking he dished out to Nat and everyone else was what they deserved otherwise he might have to admit that he was an asshole, which he obviously wasn't... or maybe he was. In any case he came to the Orphanage to feel sad without feeling stupid about it. He had a reason to feel sad and weak here and he enjoyed that. And the bitter taste the memories left in his mouth where almost comforting in a way.

Rave would never admit this to anyone, but he really did miss his mother and father. He hated them for abandoning him and if he got the chance he'd definitely get revenge for the way they had treated him. They made his blood boil and bitterness bubble in the pit of his stomach. But he still missed them, what he remembered of them before they left that was. His mother had a warm smile and a calming voice. Of course the fact that he missed her made Rave angry even more so than he was before.

He just couldn't stop hurting himself because he hated himself. He hated that he had become such a weak person emotionally and tried to balance it out by excelling in his career of acting, but no matter what his rotten personality always came and bit him in the ass. And you know what? That made him even more angry which just intensified the qualities he didn't like in himself! Everyone annoyed him, absolutely everyone! He hated when people were happy or when they were confident. He hated that everyone else didn't have to suffer and hated that what his suffering had made him, everyone else hated. Nobody accepted him as he was, they just held their noses high and looked down on him. And no matter how many grimy rungs of social hierarchy he climbed or how well he performed, he couldn't feel good about himself because regardless of those achievements, he still had very little close emotional relationships.

Except for Nat. Nat accepted him as he was and might even like him for it but all Nat did was annoy him. Nat was the one guy that might actually be good for Rave and he fucked that up to.

His hands started trembling as he stared at a couple take a child out of the orphanage and lead her into their car, happy and laughing; Rave had never been adopted. Nobody had wanted the kid that sat in the corner and brooded all the time. Nobody cared to find out why he was upset and eventually he was forced to move out and live on his own. He was too young to have to live alone!

"Damn it." Rave whispered as his legs began to move again. He had to get away, coming here to hurt himself was almost normal for Rave and his self-destructive ways but this time he had really dropped a load on himself this time. He felt like he might regurgitate his absinthian memories out like they were a bad lunch rather than a part of himself. Fuck everything! Why did Rave even give a shit about people anyway?

Rave had began running and he had no idea why, finding something, anything to get his anger out on. He ran into the woods. He didn't need to go far, just far enough so that he knew nobody would hear him. He couldn't have people see his weakness. Not like this. But when he found a tree a nice ways into the woods he let all out onto it.

His trembling fist drove into the wood and a thud erupted as the result. His fingers were suddenly numb and it felt good now that he couldn't feel them trembling. "Fuck everything!" He yelled.

Another punch with his other hand drove right into where the last one had suddenly taken off. "Fuck my parents!"

_Thud._

"Fuck Nat!"

_Thud._

"I fucking hate all of you cunts!"

Rave had started crying somewhere in the midst of his fit of rage but he soon collapsed onto the floor in defeat. He had nothing. He was nothing. He looked inside himself and found nothing. _Nothing, nothing, nothing._

* * *

Nat felt a stinging in his heart as he saw Rave slam the door behind him. He knew that Rave was complicated and that he had a lot of angsty feelings inside him, but this was next level shit. Nat had no idea how to react. If Rave would only tell him what was wrong, Nat would be more than happy to help. But he always kept everything bottled up inside and it was frustrating as all hell.

Kept it bottled up? You ask. But Rave I thought Rave was very open about the way he felt. oh contraire, young reader, Rave never showed his real emotions. He was always hiding behind a mask of aloof misanthropy. Anger was one of Rave's natural defenses. But knowing that didn't make him any easier to figure out really. Nat just knew that he was hiding something, not what it was.

Nat sighed, Rave was the very definition of first world problems.

He made his way over to the couch and plonked himself down, the memory of what he had previously been doing on it distracting him slightly from what he was currently thinking. He was just generally feeling rather bleak about the situation. He wasn't depressed or anything, he was just kind of not in the mood to do anything other than ponder the situation, which made him a little sad. Just a little, maybe a little more because anything he might use to distract himself would feel fuzzy and distant.

Nat sighed, only one person he wanted to talk to now. He picked up his phone.

"Oh Nathan." His mother's voice came through. "How'd it go with Rave, is he coming over for dinner?"

"No." Nat sighed and pouted despite his mother not being able to see it.

"I don't like that tone." She said, "What's going on?"

"Rave yelled at me."

"Oh baby." Nat's mother gushed. "I wish I was there so I could give you a big hug."

"Mee too." Nat said with a wavering voice.

"Oh my beautiful sensitive boy, what did he say?"

"He said that he didn't want to meet you and that I should just drop it. And then he implied that he might not be happy with me."

His mother's voice turned hard. "Really?"

"Yeah." Nat said but it was more like a wail then a word.

"And this was unprovoked?"

"Um well I was kind of pressing the issue."

On the other end of the phone, Nat's mother was frowning. "Now Nathan you did nothing wrong. I think I might just need to come over and give your new boyfriend a piece of my mind."

Nat panicked "No mum it's okay! Besides you don't know where he lives so you can't come anyway." Nat said that last but in triumphant realisation.

"Nathan I have a GPS wired to your phone, I'll be there in a jiffy."

"No mum wait!"

"Goodbye dear."

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Mortified, Nat through his phone across the room. What kind of mother put a tracker in their sons phone? Nat's kind of mother apparently. Actually, the more he thought about it the more obvious it became and he wondered why he hadn't thought of it sooner. But before he could continue that train of thought, he quickly ran over and picked his phone up to see if it had been too badly damaged. It hadn't.

He rubbed his face up against the cold surface of the phone's screen. "Shhh, don't cry. Daddy didn't mean it."

* * *

Rave felt rather drained. Having emotional outbursts like that wasn't really his style but - hey, whatever worked right? But even if it was probably better that Rave got all of that out, he was still feeling pretty shitty. You know what Rave was in the mood for? Crème Brûlée and hot chocolate, that's what. So Rave went to his local french restaurant and got both of those things to eat. Alone. It was fantastic.

But Eventually Rave had to go home. He couldn't stay out forever and he needed a place to stay so he'd have to act coldly toward Nat and hope it convinced him to leave. However, when he got home, what he found couldn't be further from what he suspected to find.

Inside, he found a very nervous looking Nat smiling a smile that couldn't possibly mean anything good. He chose to ignore him though and continued into the lounge where he found a woman sitting and if he didn't know straight away from the way Nat had looked, who it was, he did once he saw the family resemblance. She had long wavy blonde hair, light to the point where it almost looked white. He assumed that was Nat's natural colour before he dyed it green, a colour Rave didn't even want to begin pondering the thought processes behind choosing. She had the same light green, almost yellow looking eyes that hid behind thick black eyelashes. She was beautiful, Rave was kinda jealous.

She wore a black jacket and jeans with boots. It suited her well but not something he'd expect a model to wear, let alone one as famous as Nat's mum. She was practically everywhere, Rave couldn't escape her image even if he wanted to. When she got with Rave's dad, who was a musical actor that Rave admired deeply (not that he'd ever tell Nat that) she got even more famous. Rave knew about Nat's parents before he knew Nat at all, which he had conveniently managed to keep hidden up until now. Rave didn't want to be that guy that always brought up peoples parents just because they were famous, not that Rave cared anyway though.

Nat waltzed into the room and whispered into Rave's ear, "Trust me, this was as big a surprise for me as it is for you" before saying out loud. "Rave this is my mother, Ellebannah."

Great, it seemed that this Ellebannah woman was just as obnoxious as Nat was, showing up at his house uninvited. The night couldn't get more pleasant. Not at all.

Ellbannah, which Rave had already decided he was going to call Elle for convenience purposes, got up and walked over to Rave, holding out a hand and flashing a warm smile. Rave took it and they shook hands.

"Hi there Rave. I'm Nathan's mother. Nice to meet you." Rave would have normally been instantly put off the woman from her pure philanthropic attitude that she overtly wore like the fashion pieces she wore in her photoshoots. But Rave could see right away that it was fake. When you were an actor, you noticed things normal people didn't. It was hard to explain but something about the way she held herself and her eyes didn't seem natural. She was acting, and it was subtle but Rave could still pick up in it. He was intrigued.

"Hey." Rave said a little absent mindedly. "What are you doing here?" He decided it would be best to be forward. He had already figured out she was acting so the quicker Rave got her to cut the pleasantries out, the better.

"I'm here to meet you of course." She replied and it was sincere. Rave might have judged her too quickly. "Nat tells me you didn't want t come see us at home so I thought perhaps you'd be more comfortable meeting me in your own living space."

Rave frowned. "Well if I had met you at the door, that might of been the couch. But now, the only conclusions I can come to about you is that you like to waltz into other peoples homes uninvited and put on the sweet mother act. Seriously, what the fuck do you want?"

Behind him Nat was gobsmacked. He thought Rave might be upset about it but he never thought he'd say something like that! Nat was genuinely offended. His poor mother.

"Touche." She said with a smirk. "You're a smart kid I can see why Nathan likes you."

Rave crossed his arms over his chest. "You still haven't told me why you're here. Quit dodging the question."

Elle eyed Rave and pursed her lips a moment, before answering. "I was here to meet you. I wasn't lying about that."

Damn, that was twice. Rave didn't know why she'd be so desperate to meet him though, why did Nat have to have such a mysterious mother.

"But," She continued. "I don't think my original approach will be sufficient. Rave would you like to come out to dinner with me and we can get to know each other a little better? If for nothing else, come for the free food."

Rave smirked a bit. "Well yes, that's a better approach to take." Rave looked behind him to see a worried look on Nat's face. He sighed, "Fine, let me go get changed."

Rave disappeared off into the hallway and Nat looked at his mother, another mortified expression on her face. "What. Was. THAT?" He all but yelled.

Elle giggled a bit and winked at Nat. "He's completely different from what I was expecting. But I can see why he yelled at you now."

Nat made his wounded puppy pouty face at her. "Nathan that's not fair! You can't use that face at me, it's my only weakness." She smiled. "Trust me dear. I know what I'm doing."

Nat groaned. "Fine, I guess I'll just continue watching you guys face off a battle royale together, shall I?"

"Good." She said and laughed heartily at the groan Nat made when Rave came out again.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

The restaurant that Elle brought them to was fancy enough, what Rave would expect for someone with her kind of money. It reminded Rave of the academy a lot and he was just glad that he was used to extravagant places like this going to a school like Alter Waters because otherwise he might have an aneurysm at the sight. He still felt his usual out-of-placeness he did while he was in areas so rich. He was just like Edd and Jim who also lived in peach creek because he got into Alters through an acting scholarship, so even though he was surrounded by extravagant people and places most of the time it still made him feel a little inadequate.

They sat down and ordered their food before Elle decided to address Rave again. "So Nathan tells me you like musical theatre?"

Rave was extremely curious now because he was fairly certain she was really interested inthe answer to that question. What was she playing at? "Yeah."

"So am I." She said with a smile. "What's your favorite production?"

"Annie..." He replied suspiciously.

"Oh, that's older than I would have expected."

"Ok, you got me, I lied. My actual favorite is High School Musical." Rave said in dry sarcasm and Elle's eyes lit up with her smile, indicating she appreciated the humor.

"I never would have guessed." She played along, "But of course, seeing as your gay and young, there's no possible other choice for you, is there?"

Okay so maybe Rave might like her a little bit. Just a little. But he mostly hated her for breaking into his house and then... buying him dinner in a fancy restaurant. But even still, she wasn't that cool.

"Have I told you you're one hundred percent definitely going to get aids yet?" She continued sarcastically. "Or that you're going to hell? Both of those are important things for a young gay man like yourself to know, I think."

Rave snorted. Okay maybe he liked her alot.

"You know we got it from straight people. The first person to have aids in the U.S was a heterosexual woman."

"I know. The woman and I were friends in primary school."

Rave chewed his food a bit and swallowed before asking. "Just to be clear, that's a joke right? Because you're rich as fuck and I wouldn't put it past you to be fraternizing with the bringer of aids."

Elle gave a loud and high-pitched laugh. "Is that a name you gave her or is that some glingo I haven't heard yet?"

Nat looked between his mother and Rave with a dumbfounded expression on his face. How had they gone from the icy atmosphere that had been before to Rave and his mum passing it back and forth like old friends? And how was his mother better at cheering Rave up than Nat was? What was even going on?

Rave smiled slyly, "How old are you anyway? You sure you're old enough to be Nat's mum?"

"I'm thirty four." She replied, "But I don't think my age has much to do with it, dear. I'm just a lively mother."

"Were you a hippie back in your day then?"

"Back in my day? Why you little shit." She laughed. "I'm not quite that old, dear. But free love sounds like a good motto to have."

"Even if it helps spread aids everywhere? They really had bad timing with that. They were spreading aids like the morning newspaper."

"Now, be careful who you say that around. I know you're only joking, but if some retired hippies here you blaming them for that you might be in a bit of a pickle."

Rave laughed and grinned "Do you ever stop being sarcastic?"

"Do you?"

* * *

Rave pushed the door open and turned around to view Nat's mother and say goodbye.

"It seems your in higher spirits." She said.

Yeah, she had managed to cheer him up a bit. Something about her just seemed right to Rave. She wasn't like other people who took life for granted but she also knew how to have fun. She had a strange personality that perfectly explained where Nat got his from and well, she was just great fun to talk to. Rave was usually a very lone, bitter person and he seized an opportunity to let go a bit and used it. No biggie. He was sure he'd be back to his seething self tomorrow anyway.

"Yeah."

"Well then." She said. "Next time you're in a bad mood maybe you can give me a call, instead of taking it out on your boyfriend and my son?"

And wham. That hit Rave right where it mattered and his eyes narrowed in disgust. "You were doing all of this, the whole time just to make it easier for him?"

"I'm his mother." She said flatly and it was in a way that made Rave stupid for even considering that it might be dishonest of her, or that he might of possibly been judging her for it. He felt stupid and small and really just wanted her and Nat to leave him alone where they could laugh at how stupid he was for warming up to her so quickly away from him. Jesus of course she was doing it for Nat. She was his MOTHER. Somewhere in the midst of all the laughing and jokes he had forgotten that fact. His new best friend was his boyfriends mother.

"Look Rave." She said softly. "You're a smart kid and it seems like you have some issues that you're dealing with. But Nathan here likes you alot" She rapped Nat on the back pushing him forward towards Rave. "And I know you like him too. But he can't read your mind, he's not blessed with the women's intuition that I used to figure you out, so maybe if you talk to him just a little, he won't irritate you so much?"

Rave had never felt so understood nor so vulnerable in his life. It was... confusing.

"You'll find a way if you both try hard and learn from each others mistakes." She smiled again and after seeing it so many times Rave had began to understand how she made it so well as a model. "I have high hopes for you Rave. You and Nat balance each other out and BOTH of you need that."

She turned and began to walk away, her heels clicking on the concrete in a way that reminded Rave of his own mother.

"Oh and use a condom." She through over her shoulders. "We don't want to lower Rave to the same level as the hippies now do we?" With that she disappeared down the street to leave Rave and Nat in her wake.

Rave turned to look at Nat cautiously. "Nat, let's not have sex tonight."

Nat was about to hit Rave with his wounded-puppy-pouty-googly-eyed special attack combo but Rave used his expert skills to dodge it. Which was, pushing his hands into Nat's face and saying _Shhh._

Rave smiled a bit. "Let's talk instead."

* * *

So I might have broken the fourth wall just a tiny bit in this chapter. -shrugs-  
So the next chapter is really important for two reasons, it contains some important information about Kevin's past but also becaus it will contain a rape scene. I am warning you here and I will again in the beginning of the next chapter because I do not want to trigger anybody and I want you to all be comfortable with your reading experience. If you do not want to read the scene, an alternative version of the chapter will be posted as a separate story with the scene omitted. However if you think you can stomach it, please do read it because it is needed to keep the original intent of the story. I will post this message again in the beginning of the next chapter but this is just a heads up.

Other than that some interesting info is: Ellebannah (Or Eleebana), in native Australian means "beautiful". But I picked the name randomly, I don't have any headcanons about Nat's mum being aussie XD

Next time: Kevin and Kevin's dad happen and we find out about them and gasp in shock.


	32. Chapter 32

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 32**

**Warning! The following chapter will contain a rape scene.I do not want to trigger anybody and I want you to all be comfortable with your reading experience so if you do not want to read the scene, an alternative version of the chapter will be posted as a separate story with the scene omitted. However if you think you can stomach it, please do read it because it is needed to keep the original intent of the story. But if you don't think you can handle it, visit my profile and click on the story titled "Alternative Chapter 32"**

* * *

Kevin groaned at the sun as he crawled out of the sleeping bag he and Edd had shared. It was unusual for him to wake up before Edd so it was a novel experience when Kevin tried to extract himself without waking the smaller boy. He managed to do it though to his relief. Edd needed all the sleep he could get, the guy was always staying up late for one way or another, always trying to please both Kevin and achieve what he wanted out of life. He had started studying the bill passed that ended racial segregation so that he could "study the nuances of debate in a judicial environment." He had been doing it half of the time he had spent at Kevin's and Kevin was really impressed with his diligence.

He smiled. Edd was going to go far in life with that brain of his, Kevin almost felt guilty for holding him back. If he could help Edd in any way or even just be on his level so they could grow together, Kevin would be extremely happy. But he wasn't and he never would be and he knew that. He wasn't cut out to be a king or a prince, all he could really do well was hit a ball with a bat and run. When he wasn't doing that he was being overbearing and controlling to his underlings. Maybe, if he had Edd's diligence or some kind of leadership-like quality, Kevin would think about taking up the position, but as things were there was just no way. In fact Kevin had tried to make himself as little "prince-ish" as he could.

"I wonder if you'd still be with me if you knew what I was really like..." He said sadly. "Probably not."

Kevin had to go see Pantene that day but he couldn't bring Edd along with him. He needed to find some way of getting rid of him. But how.

* * *

"That being said, toast is definitely better than bread." Jim concluded.

Plank shook his head. "If you say so."

Breakfast was pleasant and the two ate in silence after their little food debate. Plank found out that Jim was smarter than he had originally thought, maybe as smart as Edd was, which was scary. How he had managed to hide a brain like that behind all the fun-loving cutesy "Jim" persona, was beyond Plank, but he wasn't complaining.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and Plank took it out curiously to see Kevin was calling him. He frowned as he answered it. "Hello?" He asked in a tone conveying his confusion at the call. Kevin never called him, he had no reason to.

"Hey dude. Look I know this is sudden and maybe a little strange but do you think you could do me a favour?"

Plank frowned in deeper confusion and suspicion. Seeing it, Jim mouthed, "Who is it?"

Plank mouthed back "Kevin" and answered aloud "Depends what you want."

"I need you and Jim to take Edd out someplace for a while."

Jim had sauntered over and pressed his head up next to Plank's to listen in and had heard what Kevin had said.

"Why?" Plank asked curiously and Jim nodded in agreement.

"Because I'm going out somewhere and I don't want to leave Edd alone or with my dad."

Jim nodded at Plank. He wanted to see Edd anyway so this was just an excuse to. He did wonder where Kevin was going and why Edd couldn't come but he decided it was best not to pry.

Jim mouthed, "Tell him we will."

* * *

Edd yawned as he walked next to Kevin. He was rather embarrassed at how much he had overslept, he didn't want people to think he was lazy but he continued on anyway. They were going to go see Jim and Plank which he was excited about. He hadn't seen his brother in a while so it would be nice to catch up, it would also be nice to observe how the two of them now acted as a couple. As his older brother, it was part of Edd's duty to be invested in Jim's love life and to keep him safe from harm.

But until then his phone was buzzing and it seemed someone else wanted his attention.

_geez, took u long enuf 2 answer dd, where were u, the moon?_

Edd shook his head at the message from Eddy as he deciphered the butchered english.

_I have just been very busy, Eddy. I am sorry I could not speak with you._

_yeah, w/e. So how r u anyway?_

_I am very well. How are you doing Eddy?_

_fine but i kinda miss u_

Edd blinked at the screen. He never would have thought Eddy would say something like that. Another text came through before Edd could answer.

_like in a totally platonic way tho! u no, ur my bro and shit nd i can't stand being home alone all the time. The only ppl i get 2 see r my mum and ed n last time ed was ovr all he wanted to talk about was rolf's fkn chickens. i don't even get 2 see nazz nd it fkn sucks._

Edd had to read over the message several times before it made any amount of sense to him, but he soon got the gist of it.

_Well I would come visit you if I weren't currently with Kevin and about to meet Jim and Plank. Have you tried calling Nazz? I'm sure you could sort something out._

_yeah i called her but her parents nd her r away 4 the holidays in a summer house. so i gotta wait till she gets bak_

_Well I can talk a little longer, at least until I meet Jim, but I have not seen him in a long while and I don't want to miss the chance to catch up. He is my brother after all._

_yeah yeah w/e_

Edd continued texting Eddy for a while until finally they reached the place they had scheduled to meet Jim and Plank.

Jim unsurprisingly ran and glomped Edd so hard he fell over and Plank and Kevin exchanged stiff nods.

"Edd I've missed you!" Jim said wrapping his arms around his older brothers neck. Edd laughed and rested his hand on Jim's back a bit as he pulled himself forward.

"I have missed you too."

Jim giggled and got up before going and giving Kevin a small hug as well. "I trust you've been treating him well?"

Kevin chuckled and got down on his knees so that he was level with Jim "It's really hard to beieve you're the same age as him sometimes."

Jim shrugged, "I'm serving shota realness." Behind him Plank made a strange face and Kevin smirked.

"That you are, dude." He grasped Jim's small hand in his own. "You can ask him, but I think I've been treating him just fine." Kevin then got up and turned to offer his hand to Edd and help him up. "See?"

Jim crossed his arms across his chest and feigned suspicious concern. "How do I know you weren't just doing that for show?"

"Again, guess you'll just have to ask Edd about that." Turning to said boy he wrapped his arms around him and kissed him chastely on the lips. "Have fun with these two Edd, I have something I gotta do but I'll be back."

Edd was not expecting that. He thought it would be kind of like a double date. It seemed Kevin just needed a place to dump Edd though. Not that it really bothered him, Kevin had always been secretive, so Edd was willing to wait until Kevin was ready to spill the beans, but it was slightly unnerving.

"Ok, I will see you later then, Kevin."

* * *

"So how have you been Kevin?" Pantene asked smiling in good spirits as Kevin sat down.

"By the looks of things I'm feeling the same as you mrs giddy-as-fuck."

"Please Kevin, can't I just be pleased to see you?" She said with amusement.

"Um, no."

"Well regardless we're here to ruffle around in your personal drawers, not mine." She said slyly. "Now, let's get down to business, shall we?"

Kevin nodded and went through the process of explaining what had happened in the time passed since he had last spoken with her, like they had made normal and she would listen and make mental notes of questions to ask after the story was finished. By the end of the story she was frowning with deep crease lines.

"It seems like you had a pretty good week up until that last bit. Your father chased you and Edd with a knife?"

Kevin nodded, realising himself how absurd it must have sounded.

"And is that normal behavior for him?"

Fear clutched at Kevins heart suddenly as his pupils dilated and his mind was flooded with memory. "Yes." He said softly.

Pantene adjusted her position and waited a moment. She wanted to allow Kevin to settle before she pressed on. "It seems I might have touched on a sensitive topic. Now, you don't have to but I think it may be beneficial if you are able to talk to me about it."

Kevin nodded, not quite sure what to say. So neither of them spoke. Pantene was patient, and waited for Kevin to respond verbally before she went on, but Kevin had no idea what he could say. Frequently he thought he might say something and he could even feel the words building up in his throat but he always backed down, not confident enough that he'd be able to hold himself together.

"I-it'll be easier if you ask questions and I answer them." He explained.

"Okay..." Pantene responded softly.

Silence.

"Your father, is he a very abusive man?" It was hard for Pantene, she didn't want to place words into his mouth but she did want to prompt the right kind of answers. She chose her questions carefully.

"Yeah. He used to beat me regularly, he still does sometimes."

Pantene hid her disgust easily, as she had gotten used to hiding her feelings over the years she'd been a psychologist. It was best not to respond to anything in an emotional way for the same reason she was being careful with her questions, it was never a good idea to encourage any specific emotional response when it came to introspection, and she needed to allow Kevin to express himself in a healthy, natural environment.

"How bad did these get?"

"At the worst I was left with some bruises but he's never broken any bones or anything." Kevin replied. "I got used to them..."

Pantene sensed there was something Kevin was not sharing so she asked about it lightly. "Is there anything else you wish to share with me?"

Kevin did. He wanted to explain the whole story from start to finish, but he just didn't know how. But all the memories had been replaying in his mind in a kaleidoscope like fashion and it was building up and becoming overwhelming. He thought he might burst if he didn't say anything, and then once he had reached his limit, all of the words began spilling out of him. Flowing out over the top and cascading down the sides like an unending waterfall of harsh words and bitter memories, making his mouth taste acetone and his body crumble in the pressure of it all.

"He told me I was lying!"

_Six years prior._

"It is time to wake, master Kevin" _A made said as she pulled the curtains open, letting the morning sun spill into Kevin's bedroom. He didn't want to get up, he wanted to stay asleep forever and forever. Meeting Mr Thames was not something he looked forward to. Kevin didn't understand why he had to meet all the stupid people just because his daddy was the King. It was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid._

"Come on." She persisted, "The King won't be impressed if you are late."

Kevin sighed. She was right of course, he did not want another beating for being late, so he climbed out of bed reluctantly and headed toward his shower.

Baldric sighed as his master yelled at him on the other end of the phone.

"And you enjoy it don't you you sick fuck! Now do your job properly before I have to come over there and do it for you!"

Sick fuck was he? And who was the man that had come up with the little scheme in the first place? But he wouldn't say anything, if his misconstrued master wanted to get his frustrations out on him, so be it. As he had already pointed out, Baldric did enjoy it, so there was no reason for him to complain when he could indulge himself and not get arrested under the Thames' protection.

"As you wish." He replied hanging up and straightening the lapels on his suit jacket before heading to the young Masters room.

When he got there, Kevin was just entering his bathroom and one of the other maids was heading to leave. 

"_I'll take it from here." He said to her._

She nodded but before she left, she hissed, "Don't you ever get tired of this? He is ten years old now, he can take bathes by himself."

Baldric shrugged, "He is a prince and his father spoils him. Nobles never want to do any work themselves."

She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Well good luck with him, stubborn little brat." she said and clapped him on the shoulder before she left.

Smiling, he followed Kevin into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Kevin looked up to see Baldric as he took off his shirt to reveal soft pink nipples. His mouth almost began to water, little boys were so delicious.

"Oh, it's you again." He said, only half bitterly and the tone made Baldric sort of angry, but he kept it to himself. He had to keep his emotions in check, at least until Thames got there.

"Hello Kevin. I'm here to help you with your bath."

"Bath, right." Kevin said sarcastically and Baldric bit his lip. "You're just here to get yourself off right. Your a pervert right? Fucking piece of shit."

The arrogant little - "Dear prince, where did a boy of your age learn such words?" He said gripping the boys shoulder a little too hard and pulling him forward causing Kevin to gasp and start panicking.

"I-I'll scream! And then there'll be people in here and you'll get in trouble."

Kevin's defiance turned Baldric on even more and he smirked menacingly. He reached out and slid his hand in between the young boys legs, into a place where nobody his age should be being touched. 

"_And if you do and they find out about this," He said yanking Kevin's pants down quickly, "What do you think they'll do to you?"_

Kevin wailed in fear at the touch of the older man but silenced his cries from the even greater fear of being found out. He was right! There was nothing Kevin could do, he was completely powerless. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he sobbed quietly, that too turning Baldric on and frustrating him further because he couldn't fuck the brat and get it over with.

"_Now be a good boy and get in the bath."_

Sobbing and spluttering Kevin listened and climbed into the bath the previous maid had filled for him. "O-okay."

_Kevin couldn't be happier to be in clothes and his weakness had returned to the bratishness people were constantly faulting him for. He walked next to Baldric and felt very uncomfortable after he way he had just been touched. The feeling still lingered there, making Kevin feel dirty and rotten on the inside. Baldric on the other hand was feeling smug and powerful and it showed to Kevin where to others it might not._

They walked toward the guests room, that was the room Kevin's father had guests and such in for meetings. Inside, his father was standing and looking impatient while a man that Kevin assumed was Mr Thames sat waiting patiently. He was round and had a large nose with thinning hair, he looked stupidly pleased with himself for some reason too. 

_When his dad's eyes landed on him, Kevin saw them cross in anger and immediately became afraid. _

_Badric said, "Sorry we were late, the young prince slept in again."_

_Kevin was mad! That's exactly what Badric had said last time that had ended in a beating but he didn't sleep in, he was late because of what Badric had done to him! But he couldn't say that, his father would never believe it!_

He walked up to Kevin and said in a warning tone, "I have to be somewhere, now you behave yourself and speak with Mr Thames. He's going to teach you about information business, you'll need to know about it if you're going to become king."

With that he pushed passed Kevin and continued on his way out.

Kevin growled low to himself but went to sit down across from Mr Thames anyway. Kevin really despised his father and everyone else! Why couldn't they just leave him alone, he didn't want to be a king if it meant going through all of this. It just wasn't fair. He wanted to see his mummy. Where was she meant to be at this time anyway?

"Hello Kevin." Me Thames said but Kevin didn't reply, he just stared at the man with a look of pure anger. He didn't want to be there. He wanted his mummy and that was it. He wouldn't accept anything else.

"I am addressing you, young man." The man said with more irritation in his tone.

"Fuck you."

The disgust was clear on Mr Thames' face. "Watch your tongue boy! Do you know who I am?"

"Do you know who I am? I'm the prince! Now shut up, I don't want to talk to you."

_The old man groaned deeply and said. "Badric, I think it's about time you taught this boy some manners."_

Badric smiled and said "Gladly."

He walked over briskly and grabbed Kevin's hand, throwing him to the floor and causing a wail to erupt forth. 

_No, Badric couldn't be planning to do anything here. Not while that man was watching. No! Kevin didn't want it._

He got up and began running away but Badric caught his wrist again, pulling him closer and spining him around to meet a slap in the face. Kevin's eyes watered, blurring his vision slightly, but he saw behind the glare that Badric was enjoying hurting Kevin. He smiled widely like he had just opened a christmas present and threw Kevin to the floor, pulling out his belt.

"I've been waiting a long time for this Kevin." He growled maniacally as he pulled Kevin's pants down.

Kevin turned around to see Badric dropping his own pants. The disgusting old pervert was hard! Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it! If he liked hurting Kevin so much why didn't he just kill him? Kevin would rather die than be subject to this torture. But it was no use wishing, Badric had no plans to kill Kevin. And as he received a kick to the ribs causing an explosion of pain, he soon became to realise that.

No, his mind screamed as he felt large hands dig at his hips and pull him closer. 

"_NO!" He yelled aloud and heard Mr Thames chuckle from his chair._

"No?" Badric asked, amusedly as he gripped Kevin and pushed himself inside Kevin, without any kind of preparation.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

Pain erupted from his backside and Kevin cried out in a loud wail of pain. It hurt so much, he couldn't bare the pain. He wanted it to stop, why wouldn't anyone make it stop? He heard the laughter of the men flood his ears and haunt him as the pain continued to burn across his skin. Everything stung, everything hurt, nothing was okay.

His throat felt like it might collapse in on itself if it weren't for his constant screaming and soon he couldn't tell the difference between pain and pleasure at all.

All of him throbbed, like a giant heart pulse, the rhythm was the only thing that reminded him he was still alive as the rest of the world began to blacked out.

_The men had turned into monsters and they danced around him, chiding and laughing at his expense. In all directions all he could see was black, everything else was gone, everything else was numb. Behind him, one of the monsters drew a sword and looked it up and down with wicked glee. Kevin knew what it planned to do with the weapon but he couldn't find it within him to object._

His mind still pleaded the creature, stop! Use your weapons for good, swords are for protecting not killing! Don't use it the wrong way. Don't kill me!

But it was too late, Kevin had already died and the boy that was left lying on the floor in the wake of Kevin's sudden departure, would never be the same again.

"Good, now let's see if he's so keen on backchatting."

* * *

Pantene got up and pulled Kevin into a hug, which surprised both of them. Yes, she wasn't supposed to have this kind of contact with her patients, but sometimes Pantene could care less about the way she was supposed to do things. Her gut told her that it was the right thing to do.

She pulled away and said in a breath. "Kevin, that must have been very traumatic, I am amazed that you have managed to come out of it the way you have. You are a very strong boy."

Kevin had been feeling numb from the recital of his story but Pantene's word reached out and touched his heart, warming it up and making him feel something like relief.

"Thanks." He said dryly.

She was curious if it was the first time Kevin had ever told anyone that story. She asked, "Kevin, does anybody else know about this?"

"I told two others." He replied.

"And who were they?"

"My parents."

"And how did they react?"

Kevin swallowed hard. He didn't really want to talk about it but he forced himself to anyway. While he was bearing his heart he might as well get everything out.

"My father told me I was lying and that it didn't happen."

Pantene gasped, but decided not to comment. There was no way she could say anything that wasn't "your dad's a piece of shit Kevin."

"How did your mother react?"

Kevin smiled fondly at the memory of his mother. "She was very good about it. I could always count on her."

Pantene frowned, "Could?"

"Yeah, she's dead..." Kevin said and it brought his mood down significantly, "She was poisoned."

"Oh dear."

Pantene just could not believe what she was hearing. It was incredible that all of that could happen to one person and at such a young age.

"Kevin." She said slowly. "You have gone through so much and at such a young age. Most people wouldn't even have that happen to them in their worst nightmares." She paused a while. "Kevin in all honesty, if I didn't know you, hearing that story I'd put you on suicide watch. You should be very fucked up, but your not."

She smiled, "It is actually amazing how strong you are, you came out of the other side and thrived, and sure you made some mistakes on the way here but look at you now! You have made so much progress and you were able to alter your behavior and clinch this power-seeking feeling despite the fact that it was totally justified."

She stopped realising what she had just said, "Now I'm not saying that just because you were hurt, it gives you the right to hurt others. What I am saying is that that mistake is understandable for someone who has been through what you have, and you were able to get past it anyway."

"You should be proud Kevin, you are an amazing boy."

Kevin smiled a bit feeling confidence flood into him. "Thanks. I think I'm feeling a little better about it."

Pantene nodded. "You should feel good Kevin, it is all true. However." Kevin waited. "It won't heal all in one go. You have many scars that need to close up before you can truly move on. This is just the beginning."

"Being on the start line is better than not being on a line at all."

* * *

Edd had spent the afternoon catching up with Jim and gushing over how cute him and Plank were as a couple. The changes were subtle but they were there, to an analytical eye like Edd's they were easy to pick up on. Hand positions were a big one, Plank placed his hands slightly lower on Jim's back when he guided him with his hands. Jim and him seemed to have more close proximity and their bodies touched on a more frequent basis, there was also the time that they kissed which was a big indicator.

Edd thought they had a nice, healthy and innocent relationship and he took it as such, not worrying about how Plank may want it to develop in the future. It was nice.

Edd's phone buzzed and he took it out to see a text from Kevin.

_Look behind you._

Edd did and there he saw Kevin waving his hand and Edd smiled and pulled his chair out. "Excuse me, I need to go greet my boyfriend."

Kevin pulled Edd into a tight hug and Edd hugged back. "I missed you." He said.

"But Kevin it has only been a couple of hours."

"I still missed you."

Realization clicked in Edd brain and he smiled. "Me too Kevin. Me too."

* * *

Hey hope that wasn't too dark for you all!

Anyway answers! We're finally getting to the bottom of things, I hope you guys remember who the Thames are. ;D

Next time: First year, end. Christmas and New years with the boys.


	33. Chapter 33

Once again, Edd's life had somehow managed to pick a rusty sword out of the dirt and jab a hole in Edd's previous concept of what may be "a normal circumstance" for him. And well the simple answer of "how", that beckoned in relevance to the current catechizing of Edd's list of reasonable forthcomings, was that it was Christmas morning, Edd had somehow managed to stay at Kevin's house for over a month now and he was being pulled from a heavy slumber by Kevin announcing an all day sex parade. He was wearing nothing but a jockstrap and Christmas themed nipple tassels that lit up and flashed a set of different colours. (yes, this was no joke nor exaggeration).

"It's the ghost of drag queen's past", thought Edd. "Dear god, I see trails".

It could only possibly be an omen of something more to come. Edd had to have died and gone to some kind of sex heaven; well, sex heaven that had just taken a trip on LSD and had decided that Christmas themed nipple tassels were at all sexy. Or perhaps he was in hell and satan had a cruel and horrible sense of humor. He knew he wasn't dreaming because he had pinched himself a considerable amount, enough times to leave a peachy blotch on his arm. So there was only one remaining and one remotely-near-the-realms-of-reality conclusion left to draw out of the drawers of Edd's foggy morning brain, thrown into more turmoil by the slush of confusion that now joined the residue of dreams in his cranial soup. Which was, his boyfriend was a complete fucking idiot.

Well then, that wasn't so hard to figure out now was it?

Edd frowned a little, "Kevin, I hope this isn't going to become a habit of yours. Where did you even get those?"

Kevin grinned wide and sly, "I had them made for me."

"Oh dear lord!" Edd said, "What a waste of carbon and electricity! I'm fairly certain you're one of the reasons it's so hot today."

Kevin rolled his eyes as he crawled forward, placing a kiss on Edd's lips. "It was just a joke dork, I got them from fucing red dot."

"Kevin, they are still horrible, regardless of where you got them from."

Kevin smirked and pulled them off, revealing red stains where they had been stuck to the skin. "There," he said, "Am I attractive again now?"

Guilt instantly flooded over Edd. "Oh no Kevin, you're always attractive."

Kevin all but purred as he crawled over and straddled Edd's lap and leaned in for another kiss. It was deeper this time, and Kevin slid his tongue over Edd's bottom lip as their mouths crashed together.

Edd breathed out heavily into Kevins face and smiled. Merry Christmas, Kevin." He said.

"Merry Christmas, dork."

* * *

"Plank, Plank, Plank, Plank." Jim yelled excitedly as he jumped on Planks bed and woke him up.

Jim was always so excited when christmas time came around. It was so festive and fun, nobody could be grumpy on christmas! Jim could act bubbly and excitable and people would look at him and think, "why, isn't that a fine land embracing the christmas spirit." instead of "omg, where's that kids parents."

Jim thought he had grown to like being short (no pun intended) but it was really annoying when people assumed he was size just because he was small and cute and got excited by everything that really wasn't that interesting... Okay so maybe there was method to their madness, but it was still annoying. He had a brain and he was capable of intelligent conversation but he was just so curious about everything. It was like the whole world was a toy store and he could run around and play with whatever he wanted. Ok, so really not helping the image Jim was trying to debunk but you get the picture.

Nobody could be grumpy on chris- HOLY FUCKING DEATH GLARE!

Apparently Plank didn't like being woken up because he was now staring daggers at Jim. Granted it was in a half-sleep blunder but it still managed to be intense. Jim was genuinely frightened for a moment, and then he just felt guilty. Of course not everyone would want to be woken up early on christmas. Just because he had always been able to do that with Edd didn't mean that Plank would be the same. He was so inconsiderate sometimes.

"I'm so sorry Plank!" He said as he quickly scurried out of the room, cheeks ablaze with embarrassment.

"It's okay Jim." He reminded himself. "Plank isn't going to break up with you just because you cost him his beauty sleep."

Not that they had really been acting any different with each other since they started dating. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they did break up... No! That was Jim's cowardice talking, he wanted to give this relationship thing a go. But, it was true they had only ever really given each other pecks on the lips except for that one time at the amusement park but that was when Plank had tripped out on the experience of a rollercoaster so that didn't count. And the instances where pecks occurred were few and far between. Jim couldn't let it stay at the same level forever could he, that would make their mutual agreement of intimacy which was entering into a relationship together pointless. Jim didn't want that.

It was also christmas, did that mean Plank might be expecting something more? What if instead of Jim giving Plank a present, Plank wanted Jim to be the present!

_Jim, I don't want any material things for christmas. I want you... I want you, to give me your virginity._

No, no, no ,no, no! Bad thought! Terrible thought! Things that happened in yaoi most certainly did NOT gel with real life situations. It didn't help that Jim had imagined himself as a doe-eyed, moe shota and Plank as an over-the-top dramatic bishie. Jim's imagination needed to be threatened with boot camp again, it was acting up.

Jim sighed and slumped against the wall. What was he doing anyway? He was sixteen years old and his size could not deny him that, and here he was running down the hallway and screaming inside his head about a stupid thought that he had had himself.

"Jim, you're a mess." He told himself with a deepening sigh.

He had to think rationally, that would be what Edd would tell him to do if he were here. Thinking of Edd, Jim really missed him. He had never been away from his brother for so long, and even if they were only nine months apart and even if Jim knew a lot of things about life that he thought others might not, he was still the little brother. He was still weak and small and no amount of philosophical enlightenment about making mistakes together could chase away his fears and insecurities.

Like anyone's they hung around him like a thick cloud of black smoke and when it engulfed him, he felt just as useless and weak as everyone else did in such situations. And there was only one person he wanted to talk to at a time like that and it was Edd.

He pulled out his mobile and dialed the number.

* * *

"Is there any reason other than the fact that you are a fucking imbecile, that there is a christmas tree in my loungeroom?" Rave asked irritably.

"Aw, come on grouchy, I thought it'd lighten the mood.

"I think you must of heard wrong Nat. It will lighten the ROOM, with it's fucking multi-coloured, seizure-inducing, devil-lights, but the only thing it is doing to my mood is making it drop. Fast." He eyed Nat for a while and then finished with, "Also don't call me grouchy."

"Well then don't act like such a grouch."

Rave crossed his arms across his chest. "Do I call you a fucking inane-" Rave stopped himself, realizing his error too late.

Nat smirked at him, "Yeah, dug your own grave there didn't you?"

"Fuck you." Rave seethed.

"Come on." Nat said, stepping forward and pulling Rave into a hug. "It's okay to feel good every now and again, especially when it's christmas."

Rave sighed, "I suppose we should continue with this talking thing we were doing and I should explain to you that I just don't really like holidays. Because everyone is acting all giddy and cheery as if their lives don't totally suck ass. And people that would usually be more than willing to treat you like shit will act like they're some paragon of virtue and act 'charming.'"

Rave paused and then seeing that Nat was listening intently, he continued. "What really gets me is that they will treat you nicely for the exact same reason they treated you like shit, to fit in. Everyone is trying to be seen as normal and their trying to feel "on top of things" and like nothing is wrong in their perfect little lives. But the truth is no one is normal, we're all just as fucked up as each other and we're all selfish assholes and everyone should just get used to that."

Silence.

Rave began to regret opening his mouth. He had said too much and now Nat was going to call him an idiot and he'd have to deal with an argument which he could not be fucked with right now. He braced for the worse.

"Okay, I understand." Nat said and Rave turned around quickly to face him with a confused expression.

"You're not gonna fight me on this?"

"Why would I fight you one it babe?" Nat said with a laugh and Rave cringed at the intimacy of the name but let it slide anyway. "I think it's a completely reasonable reason to be frustrated,"

Rave blinked. He wasn't used to this, people agreeing with his biased emotional opinions thing. He was used to them getting shut out, chided or even completely ignored. In fact, Rave was fairly certain that this was the first time he had ever bore his heart and then hadn't been rejected by it.

"but, hating people is one thing, hating a holiday is another. Christmas isn't about all of those other people, it's about you and the people you love. So maybe, for me you could try and cheer up? Because I always like you, christmas or any other day. And I always treat you nicely, even on the days you treat me like shit."

He was right, Nat hadn't ever really been horrible to Rave. He had pushed his buttons a fair few times, but that was more a rivalry thing than anything, Nat did it because he wanted to see how Rave would push back and not because he wanted to tear Rave down. Part of their transition from "awkward fuck buddies" to "relationship" was Rave realising that fact. And not Nat was reminding him, that even if Rave yelled at him for no apparent reason or called him names or anything else, Nat would always be their and always ready to try and cheer Rave up.

He sighed, "Okay, come with me, you're getting a blowjob."

Nat's face lit up like it was - well, it was christmas morning wasn't it? Rave began to walk toward his bedroom but he suddenly stopped and turned around, tripping Nat up a bit. "Actually, make that deep throating." he said as he pondered on the events that had just transpired some more.

Another couple of steps. "Should I just go "fuck it" and get my tongue pierced first as well?" That one was sarcastic.

Nat laughed, "Come on cutie."

"Nat, I've been known to be an indian giver, don't fucking test me."

"Haha"

* * *

Kevin trailed a hand down Edd's neck and chest, causing his breath to hitch slightly at the touch. His skin was still warm as he hadn't gotten out of bed yet and it was seemingly extra smooth and felt pleasant to touch. Kevin suddenly remembered a mental note he had left himself ages ago and the experience was like finding an unpaid bill in a stack of junk paper. Okay, it was nothing like that but whatever.

"Edd, do you shave?"

The question had seemed to come out of the blue to Edd, who didn't hear all of Kevin's thought process like a podcast, but he replied anyway. "I wax."

Kevin tilted his head to one side, absentmindedly caressing the flesh of Edd's chest. "Why?"

"Would you rather I not?"

"No, no, I was just wonderin' is all."

Edd sighed, "Look, it's a rather in depth discussion to be had, perhaps we could have it after we finish the activity you obviously plan to engage in?"

Kevin smirked, knowing that that was the closest he'd ever get to an "I'm horny" from Edd, he complied with his boyfriends wishes. He scooted forward and pulled the blankets back to keep them both cool as he continued undressing Edd.

Their lips brushed past each other's again briefly as they Edd felt Kevin's hands explore his skin again, searching for the erogenous zones he had long since pinpointed. Edd's lower back, his inner thighs, his nipples, hands found and stimulated these area's with the soft strokes of fingers. A tickling sensation would ripple over Edd's body and he would feel himself becoming aroused and measured it's urgency by the tightness of his pants.

Kevin's tongue then started doing the dirty work, flicking out to catch a small bead of sweat rolling down Edd's chest. It was hot and wet and worked far better than the touch of fingers did. A strip was liked from his navel up and he shivered as Kevin's tongue ran over his neck and eventually up into a kiss. People might think it an unorthodox way of doing foreplay, but it worked, and Edd found the feeling of being licked, as strange as the sentence sounded in hindsight, to be very pleasurable.

He quivered under Kevin's touch and at the cool breeze on his erect penis as his pants were slid off to reveal it standing tall with precum leaking down the sides. Kevin chuckled as his tongue caught the trail and ran up the underside of Edd's dick, over the frenulum and swirled around the head. Edd made a broken moan, caught in his throat as his breath hitched and tried to force his eyes open so that he could watch. Edd had recently became curious about facial expressions made during intimate contact and what they could mean. So it was imperative he watch and learn from the experience.

Kevin looked smug as he took the head into his mouth and looked up at Edd with smoldering eyes. He was testing Edd, trying to see what would make the boy cry louder. It seemed they were both just as inquisitive as each other.

Kevin gulped down Edd's entire shaft suddenly, the head hitting the back of his throat as his tongue wrapped around Edd's dick and evoking the desired reaction from Edd. He gasped at the suddenness of it and his hips bucked, sliding his dick slightly further down Kevin's throat. He immediately pulled back though, feeling rather horrible for his conduct as his face glowed in embarrassment and arousal.

Kevin released Edd's member from his mouth, wet and covered in saliva, as he said, "Edd you're so fucking cute."

Edd made an embarrassed grunt as Kevin simply smirked and gripped Edd's thigh's, pushing them forward and giving him more access to Edd's genital area. He ducked his head down and like a strip between Edd's balls before sucking them into his mouth. Another gasp and Edd was very aroused as Kevin's hands worked their way up his inner thighs, massaging in circular motions.

He hummed into the action in appeasement of Edd's reactions and the vibrations intensified the pleasure Edd was experiencing.

"Kevin, it feels good." He said, shutting his eyes as he forgot all about his studying, as he always did during sex.

"Of course it does." Kevin said as he moved down to Edd's hole and licked over it.

"K-kevin." He mumbled, as the tongue worked it's way inside. Kevin loved when Edd said his name during sex and had encouraged it the last time they had tried something together, it seemed Edd had just remembered.

Kevin licked over and into the entrance while his hand snaked up and began tugging at Edd's cock and it built a pressure up within Edd's gut. It felt amazing, as always Kevin had a talent for appeasing Edd's sexual desires down to a t. Kevin knew Edd well and well, the thought that had to go into, running one's hands all over another person and pinpointing their erogenous zones while simultaneously stimulated them in their most sensitive area's, well Edd found it appealing. He was generally attracted to intelligence, and when Kevin showed that he did in fact have a brain and used it, Edd would always swoon, but when that use also entailed such incredible physical sensation, Edd was really beside himself.

"I'm going to fuck you Edd. So hard you won't be able to stop calling my name." Kevin smirked as he traced a finger over Edd's entrance, ghosting penetration and teasing Edd. "But not now, I still have to give you your christmas present." Kevin lowered his head and kissed the top of Edd's penis that twitched at the feeling. "So for now, we'll have to settle for this."

Kevin took all of Edd in again and Edd all but shouted "Ugh, Kevin!"

It was such a lewd noise which Edd would regret later, but in the moment he had to let it out. He felt the pressure building inside him as Kevin's head bobbed back and forth, eagerly taking the shaft in as his tongue worked it's magic as well.

Kevin's hands squeezed Edd's ass, causing another hip bucking and he then used the leverage to work even deeper. Edd cried and spluttered as he became a mess of sexual pleasure. Fingers brushed against soft skin, heat and wetness engulfed Edd's dick, his eyes shut as a shiver was sent up his spine and he was enveloped in the feeling of orgasm.

"Kevin!" He said one last time as he orgasmed and came down the redhead's throat.

Kevin swallowed and began to slow his pace until he came to a complete stop and slid Edd's dick out of his mouth. Edd painted underneath him and his eyes were stary and his smile happy. He leaned forward and collapsed onto Kevin with a hug and a kiss.

He loved the feeling of Kevin's warm body against his own, it was comforting and wonderful.

"Kevin, I am only going to say this once." Edd paused, "But you are the only person who has ever made me glad to loose my ability to think rationally."

Kevin chuckled loudly and kissed Edd again as he stared into his eyes. "I wanted you to feel good. It was your first present."

They held the eye contact for a while before Edd had to look away for fear of confessing his love again. He wanted to wait until Kevin said it back properly first before he said it again, but sometimes, during intense moments like this one, Edd just felt so fluttery and emotional and he thought that if he didn't say something his heart might explode. Kevin was just such a great guy. He was smart, even if not academically, he was nice to Edd, interesting, attractive and he had to deal with a lot of things in his life like that insane father of his yet he still managed to come out on top, which earned Edd's respect. How could Edd not love him? He was the perfect guy, and he was Edd's. That was something he wanted to tell the world and proclaim freely.

Edd sighed a bit to himself as he rested his chin on his boyfriends shoulders. If Kevin didn't return his feelings in a verbal affirmation some time soon, Edd might begin to really worry. But he couldn't worry then because he was distracted by the sound of his phone ringing.

"I'd better get that." Edd said as he crawled over to the edge of the bed, unintentionally flashing Kevin while he did, and picking up the phone to answer.

"He-"

"It's Jim, I need to talk to you."

Edd frowned at the suddenness but said in reply, "Hello Jim, what is it?"

"I need some help thinking rationally." Jim's voice came through the other end.

That was an unusual question. Jim usually had no trouble doing that, Edd wondered what was wrong.

"What rational thinking do you need help with?

"Well first of I need to explain something about my relationship with Plank to you." Jim said and Edd made a grunt indicating for Jim to go one. "When it comes to the emotional side of things, I know what I'm doing but Plank is hopeless but when it comes to the physical side of things, Plank knows what he's doing and I'm hopeless."

"I see." Edd said, nodding.

"And this is about the later. I don't know how to show him affection physically or how fast or slow we should go. Whenever we kiss it's always him initiating it, and I just don't know what to do or if Plank expects more. I'm so confused."

Edd sighed. He always suspected Jim would have trouble with this ever since the two boys first started dating. Jim didn't have the same idea's about physical intimacy that most people had. He was more than happy to snuggle up and cuddle with anyone regardless of gender and regardless of their position in his life. He was just very affectionate that way so Edd had always expected it be the opposite to the situation Jim was in now, but thinking about it logically, Edd could see why Edd was confused. As he was always very affectionate, he didn't know how to carry that over into a relationship. Things would have suddenly had knew implications and meanings. It was only natural for Jim to be confused. He knew that he used to consider cuddling as something you did with friends but now those values had been skewed.

However, when it came to initiating physical contact of a far more intimate kind, like Jim had been insinuating Plank may want, Edd didn't know much. His study into human sexuality had been entirely from his perspective, and though he had learnt a lot about the nature of attraction and sexual arousal, one thing remained untouched on and it was a similarity he and his brother shared. Edd hadn't ever initiated intimate contact with Kevin either, so he was at a loss of what to do.

"Jim, I would love to be able to help you on my own but I'm afraid this is one subject I am not very knowledgeable on. Do you mind if I consult Kevin about it?"

"No, that's fine, just as long as somebody knows what to do."

Edd turned and beckoned Kevin over from where he'd been lying on the bed. He explained Jim's situation to him and asked for some guidance. Edd was sure that Kevin would understand the prospect of physical intimacy better than Edd did. He may also understand Planks intentions better as well, they had been getting sort of chummy with each other recently, maybe they had spoken about it?

"Well, I don't think Planks gonna pressure him into anything, he's not that kinda guy. But tell him, if he wants to try initiating the contact to just do whatever he feels comfortable with. He probably thinks he has to one up Plank or something by giving him tongue. But if he just gives the guy a peck, Plank will know that it means more for Jim than it does him. So that should be fine."

Edd beamed at Kevin. "Your knowledge on sociality is very invaluable Kevin! You have my gratitude and I'm sure you have Jims as well!"

Kevin laughed a bit as Edd returned to Jim and relayed the message.

Jim sounded relieved when he spoke, "Oh, I suppose that sounds about right. I was scared, but I guess I was worrying over nothing." He giggled.

"Don't worry Jim, I think it's very natural." He laughed, "By the way, merry christmas."

On the other end of the phone, Jim smiled wide. "Merry christmas, Edd!"

* * *

Plank woke up with the memory of a strange dream in his brain. Jim had jumped on him stating that it was christmas and had then suddenly disappeared. Plank knew that dreams had meanings so he wondered what that could possibly say about his subconscious. Probably just that he was weird, whatever.

Plank didn't bother getting dressed because it was hot, as always, so he stumbled out into the hallway in his boxer shorts, scratching his stomach absent mindedly as he yawned. He checked the time: 9:45. Jim was probably still sleeping.

Plank had gotten Jim a stuffed teddy bear for christmas but he hadn't had time to wrap it the night before when he had snuck out to get it without Jim knowing, so he decided to utilize the time to do that then. That was it would be ready when Jim woke up.

The bear was larger than they normally were, in fact, with Jim being the size he was, it was probably about as tall as him. But it was very cute and Plank thought it would suit Jim and his cuteness well. The two of them together would be a two times over-cute combo. Plank would surely die.

Being a self proclaimed cute-sexual wasn't easy but Plank dealt with the burdens he had to bear. Besides, it wasn't like it was an inherently bad thing now was it? The attraction to cuteness was a natural one, Plank had just seemed to get that stick in overdrive. But he was with Jim so it didn't matter because that boy was all the cute Plank needed to keep himself happy. Only thing left to worry about was sex.

He wanted to do it, definitely, he had explained that to Jim ages ago. But he just didn't know how. He wasn't a virgin, he had had sex before. But it was with girls, and that was completely different. Plank had never had a problem with the idea of being with a boy, as long as they were cute, among other things, he didn't care what they had between their legs or what their gender identity was, but he didn't know how to have sex with a boy.

Would Jim even want to have sex with a guy like Plank? What if he was accidently too forward and Jim got upset and left. He didn't want to hurt Jim in any way. Jim was so precious and fragile, Plank needed to protect him not punish him!

Actually, all these thoughts of sex were silly! As long as Jim loved him and Plank could protect Jim, then he was okay. That was all there needed to be. If he needed release he could always just whack off to shotacon or lolicon. It was fine. He was just being stupid and masculine and it was that kind of thinking that would get him into trouble.

Plank walked around the corner and stopped as he saw Jim standing there. Damn it! He was already awake, now Plank couldn't wrap his present properly! But Plank soon began to care about that less as he heard what Jim was saying.

"And this is about the later. I don't know how to show him affection physically or how fast or slow we should go. Whenever we kiss it's always him initiating it, and I just don't know what to do or if Plank expects more. I'm so confused."

"Of course I don't expect any more!" Plank thought but he didn't interrupt, he wanted to hear the rest of the conversation.

Plank had definitely been doing things wrong if Jim felt pressured into doing things he didn't want to. Damn it, he was such an idiot. Fuck, he needed a cigarette, where did he leave his last packet?

"Merry christmas Edd." Jim said and then hung up. Plank had missed half of the conversation as he was thinking to himself and now Jim was heading back in Planks direction. Shit.

Plank quickly dashed toward a random closet and through himself inside to hide from Jim. If his boyfriend found out he had been eavesdropping he might be in a lot of shit for it. He heard Jim's footsteps pass him by and when they were finally inaudible, he released a heavy sigh. The day was already so stressful, but he had to press on.

Slipping out of his makeshift hiding place, he made his way down to the loungeroom. He saw his mother sitting on the couch and holding her phone, next to her Jonny was opening a present. She looked like shit, likes he had been crying and it was unnerving. He got closer and she looked up to see him staring at her curiously.

She forced a smile "Oh, Ivan dear, how are you?"

Plank wasn't in the mood for some fake, "I wasn't upset" bullshit so he outright asked. "Mum, what happened?"

Her face dropped and she looked at her phone screen again, the sadness returning to her eyes. "Your father won't be returning for Christmas again this year." She said, her voice rough and dry.

Plank frowned, the asshole promised her! Plank had no issue with him being away all the time, he could fucking care less, but the piece of shit had promised Plank's mum he'd be back. She was his fucking wife, he could at least spare her the bullshit lies. Everyone in the family understood that his work meant he had to be out a lot so maybe if he just said from the beginning that he probably wouldn't make it instead of leaving it to the last minute, it wouldn't cause such an issue.

Plank grumbled angrily. "Shouldn't you expect that kinda shit from him by now?"

Plank had snapped out of anger and expected it to hurt his mother even more but she just sort of sighed and looked at Plank with these dead eyes and it really, really frightened him.

"I do, Ivan. But that doesn't make it hurt any less."

His mother's words hit him right where it mattered and he felt like something had twisted inside of him. That was exactly how Plank felt, no matter how much he told himself it was normal, it didn't make any difference. He still wished his dad would come home, at least for christmas. He sighed, he didn't have to worry about his dad or deal with his mothers depression. He had to worry about Jim right now anyway.

Plank made his way over to the christmas tree, stopping to kneel down next to Jonny and ruffling his hair. He said, "Merry christmas bro."

Jonny smiled back and returned "Merry christmas!"

Plank was glad that at least he was happy the little guy always was. Plank pulled him into a hug. It didn't have to be this way, but it was so Plank would deal with it.

* * *

"Nat, this better not turn out like shit." Rave grumbled in the car next to Nat.

He laughed, "Oh come on, my mum loves you and you love her. Plus my dad will definitely like you, you guys can talk about musical theatre or whatever."

"Yeah so? I still would have rather stayed home." Rave complied. "I already gave you a blowjob, this is overcharging." He added.

"I know, and I didn't realised anyone could swallow so much of my dick, it was brilliant."

"What are you? Ronald fucking Weasley? And you aren't that big, don't kid yourself."

"Yeah, that's why you gagged on it like three times." Replied Nat, looking smug.

Rave, of course was appalled. "Shut the fuck up you piece of shit! The driver doesn't want to here shit like that and neither do I."

"Make that just you." A voice called from the drivers seat. "I'm actually having a good laugh up here."

Rave faced Nat with an even more mortified expression.

"The drivers on my side." Nat said before suddenly finding the situation hilarious and cackling his smug little ass off about it.

"You fucking paid her didn't you!"

"Haha"

...

Nat's house was as big and obnoxious as Rave thought it'd be and it was a beach house too, which gave it a bonus of 10 extra obnoxiousness points. It was very modern, with hipstery little triangle things on the outside of the walls and walls made entirely out of some kind of glass. Rave hardly thought that it was secure but whatever, no skin off his nose if they got broken into.

The car pulled into a garage that existed underneath the house as it came to a sow stop. "So this is my house." Nat said.

"Nah, it's your fucking rape dungeon."

Nat smiled as he got out and walked around and opened the door for Rave.

"I'm more than capable of opening my own door." He said.

Nat rolled his eyes again, "Is it possible for you to just accept that people doing things just for the sake of being nice and not to annoy you in some weird passive aggressive way?"

Rave looked at Nat and smirked. "No."

Laughing, Nat punched him lightly in the arm. "Oh fuck off." He said.

Rave hit him back, a little harder than Nat had him and quickly jumped backwards out of the way of Nat's return fire. "You're the one who decided to date me." He laughed as he edged further away from Nat and his fists.

"Well, when you give blowjobs like that, how could I not?" Nat suddenly leaped forward but Rave had seen it just in time and shuffled around the edge of the car. Neither of them noticed that both the driver and Nat's mum, Ellbannah were now standing at the top of the stairs that lead out of the garage and were looking at the two with a mixture of endearment and amusement.

"Well maybe I'll just decide not to." Rave said, and continued in his now, flowing escape from Nats approach. "Maybe I'll just decide that choking on your MASSIVE fucking dick is just too much for me, and I'll let you date someone who can fully appreciate the man that you are." He threw at Nat sarcastically.

Elle gasped a bit at that one. She was a loving and open mother but there were some details you didn't wish to hear about your children. Their boyfriend's perceptions of their penis size being one of them. But she was too curious to see how it would play out to block her ears or interrupt so she watched on in slightly uncomfortable suspense.

"Maybe I will." Nat countered, "Maybe I want someone who can take all of me at once, and not just parts of me."

"Oh fuck you and your double entendres." Rave cackled, "Besides I could take all of you at once and more, remember. I just gagged a bit, but that's just because your cock was part of you and I hated having it inside me."

Nat lunged at Rave again and again Rave masterfully dodged it. Elle dipped her head and covered her face. She was experiencing what every mother had to go through, accepting that her son had reached sexual maturity, but it was happening in the worst possible way. She had always teased Nat about his romantic life but she hadn't expected it to turn around and bite her in the ass like this!

"You fucking loved it! You were moaning into it, you couldn't get enough. Thirsty like you hadn't drunk for fucking days, or you'd been traversing a desert or some shit." Nat whooped.

"Oh good god." Nat's mother hissed and next to her, the driver began laughing.

"Yeah, you sure about that?" Rave challenged.

"Yeah."

Both of them stood still for a moment, eyeing each other, waiting for the other to make a move. What was next, who would win? It was a game of power and both were adamant to succeed.

Suddenly, Nat pounced onto Rave, tackling him to the ground with a mischievous growl. Rave made an "oof" sound as he hit the floor and looked up at Nat with a put at his loss as the other boy loomed over him, straddling his waist.

"Looks like I win." Nat said.

"Fuck you."

Nat smirked and leaned down, closer to Rave's face. "I fucking love you James Castellanos."

Rave wanted to say the same back, because he had a bunch of endorphins running around in his veins right then and he was feeling sappy and stuff. But he found the words caught in his throat. He had said it once before, but that was in the heat of the moment and now he was just feeling awkward about it. He grumbled at first, uncomfortably, but then his mind was made up.

"Oh fuck it", He said. "I love you too Nathan Asshole."

Rave leaned up and kissed Nat on the lips and then the seemed to melt into each other, as arms wrapped tight in a hearty embrace.

Elle was watching them with starry eyes.

"Need a Valium?" The driver asked.

"Oh you." Elle tutted but then laughed a bit. "No, I'm fine."

* * *

Plank had quickly discovered that wrapping christmas presents was not one of his greater present which had previously been a normal looking bear with a bow and card attached. But now, it was a mess of wrapping paper and stray bits of sticky tape and Plank had no idea how much time he had left to fix it up.

He quickly started pulling the tape off. It was fine as it was, why did Plank have to try and make it better and end up ruining it?

He felt a presence kneel down next to him. "Need help with that?" His mother asked, and he nodded in response.

She helped him pull all of the sticky tape off and managed to salvage a lot of the wrapping paper used as well so it was a pretty good outcome. The bear was also only marginally dishevelled so Plank was happy. He replaced the bow and the card and stood back to inspect the hour worth of labor had done nothing. Then he felt bad again.

"Is this for your friend Jim?" She asked, reached out to feel the soft furr of the stuffed bears arm.

"Yeah."

She got up and sat on the arm of the couch, which was adjacent to where Plank was standing. "How old is he again?"

"Sixteen, same as me."

"Are you sure he'll like it at sixteen years old, Ivan?" She inquired.

Plank sighed and slumped down next to her. "I hope so." He said.

She smiled pityingly at him. "Seems like a lot of work to do for a friend."

And Plank knew it. There would eventually be a time like this where Plank would have to explain ti his mum that he was dating a boy. He had no idea how she'd react really but he supposed there wasn't much she could do about it in her current state.

"Mum, Jim's not just my friend, he's my boyfriend."

She blinked a couple of times as she looked at him and then returned her eyes to the bear and laughed aloud. "Oh of course!" she said. "So, does this mean you're gay, Ivan?" She added curiously.

Okay, not the response he had expected.

"Um, I like both boys and girls." Plank offered. He wouldn't say that he was bi or pan because he really didn't see it as the same thing.

"Oh well I'm sure Jim gets jealous of all the girls then." She offered weakly yet still heartily.

Plank had no idea she'd be so accepting and she was going out of her way to make him feel comfortable about it despite the fact she was obviously upset. The feeling Plank felt was unexplainable. He hugged her.

She lifted her hands to hug Plank back and swell in the feeling of warmth. It was the first time since she could remember Plank had ever even touched her, let alone hugged her like this.

"I'll always love you Ivan." She said, "I might sometimes wish that you were different, if only to make your own life easier, but I'll never stop loving you."

"Thanks." Plank managed and they stayed that way for a while.

"I have no idea how your father will react." She continued. "But I think Jim is a lovely boy and I think he'll love his present."

Plank smiled again. It had been a long time since somebody other than Jim had made him smile, or since he had really even talked to someone other than Jim properly. He had just centered his entire life around the boy, and that was okay, Plank loved him, but sometimes he realised that he probably shut other people out in the process.

"Want to invite him down, and we can spend christmas morning together?" She asked, "The four of us as a family?"

"Sure."

* * *

Elle lead Rave through the house, giving him a full tour with Nat tagging along behind.

"I'm so happy you've come to join us for christmas, Rave." She said, "I cannot wait for my husband to meet you."

"Sure, I mean, as long as he isn't an asshole." Rave replied and Elle scoffed.

"You have a unique sense of humor, dear." She said. "Now then, the toilets are down there, if you ever need to go don't hesitate."

As he was shown the house, Rave got more accustomed to it and the idea of being in it. It turned out that being here with them wasn't as bad as he had made it out to be in his head, just because they were rich didn't mean that they were instantly annoying and assholish. He was even beginning to think he could get used to it. Of course that thought implied that Rave thought he'd stay with Nat for longer than a couple of years at most, which he didn't, but it was still a nice thought to have by himself. God knows how Nat would react if he had heard it though.

After the house tour Rave and Nat were brought into the main living area, which Rave didn't want to really call a room because it was the size of many. With only a bench separating it from the kitchen and only a glass wall separating it from the balcony and beach beyond that, it was the largest and most intimidating room Rave had ever been in.

Rave saw Nat's father Callum goldberg, sitting on a couch and flicking through a newspaper when they got there, Rave nearly choked on his own spit and died. In all the commotion he had completely forgotten that Nat's dad happened to be an actor that Rave loved. Fuck.

The man looked up and saw Nat, then beamed. The two of them ran at each other and Nat's father, who was a very tall man, pulled him into a hug and swung him around like people sometimes did in movies. To say the sight made Rave feel sick was an understatement.

Seeing Rave's expression and laughing a bit, Elle explained, "Oh those two haven't seen each other in a long time is all. No need to get the barf bags ready."

That made Rave feel a little better but even still, they needed to stop hugging.

"Dad how have you been?" Nat asked excitedly.

"I've been well son." He smiled, "And who might this be?" He asked, gesturing at Rave.

Nat beckoned Rave over with his hands and the other boy reluctantly complied.

"This is James, but he likes to be called Rave. He's my boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend?" Nat's father asked, "What number is this one?" He teased.

"Oh my god dad, don't embarrass me." Nat joked back, but ironically, Rave didn't pick up on the sarcasm.

Smirking at Nat, Rave said, "It wouldn't surprise me if he's been with over fifty guys. And that's just the guys, think about all the poor girls that have had to endure him."

He had meant it to make Nat feel uncomfortable but it seemed both of them took it the complete wrong way.

"I wish" said Nat.

"Yeah. He is my son but he couldn't get that many."

When Rave looked at them with a horrified expression they both laughed out loud. Like, in synchronization. Dear god it was an older Nat! They were carbon copies of each other.

"So how long have you been "enduring" my son?" He asked.

Jesus christ and they were just as smug and asshole-y as each other. Rave really wished that Nat could have taken after his mother, that way Rave could hate his dad without feeling weird about it.

"We've been dating for almost a year now." Rave said, though it wasn't entirely true. They had met almost a year ago, but it was pretty hazy when Rave tried to decide the exact time they started really being a couple. But his father didn't need to know that and it seemed Nat wasn't correcting him so no biggie.

"That long and this is the first I've seen of you?" Nat's dad asked appallingly.

"I told you about him!" Nat claimed, as if offended that his father had forgotten.

"So? It still took you a year to introduce the two of us?" Nat shrugged in response so the older man turned his attention back to Rave. He held out a hand. "It's nice to meet you James, my name is Callum Goldberg, nice to meet you."

"It's Rave." he corrected, "Nice to meet you too, I suppose." He replied dryly.

Callum, who Rave was now calling Cal inside his head for the purposes to do with ease of reference, laughed and looked up at Elle.

"He reminds me of you when you were younger."

Rave didn't know how well that comment sat with him.

"Well then, Rave. Hows about we have some Christmas breakfast together."

Callum had ended up being the complete opposite of the characters he played, which was to say: really fucking annoying, and Rave was kinda dissapointed. But the whole family were just so loving and it made Rave both feel sick and great at the same time. It was different from all the other times he had seen disgustingly mushy gushy people because this time, he was a part of it. And he was never left to his own thoughts or ignored, he was constantly pulled into discussions about theatre, current world event, literature, anything really. That being said, even with their annoying personality quirks, it was hard to call the Goldbergs uninteresting people and Rave was rather conflicted about that.

He had always just been able to sort people into little boxes labelled "I hate you" and "I hate you a little less.". Now he had "I hate you but might actually love you a little but maybe"; "wow you're fucking annoying but you're interesting and I respect your work" and "You're the female version of me minus misanthropy. Which is really creepy all things considered."

Nat's dad still had a killer vibrato though, Rave had got him to sing after breakfast.

In any case Rave thought he might not entirely hate their family. And he might not entirely hate spending time at their home. And maybe, just maybe, it was okay to not be angry and seething all the time. But really who was Rave kiding?

"So, did you buy my a present, Nat?" Rave tested, after breakfast when they were alone.  
"No." He replied, and it was in such a cool way. Like he could give to less shits about the fact that he hadn't bought his boyfriend a christmas present. Then he smirked, and Rave could feel his blood lust rising.

"I thought you'd really just hate it anyway, you'd think it's superficial or whatever." Nat shrugged, "So I invited you to my house instead and thought we could fuck a lot and whisper sweet nothings to each other in the night and just generally be a fucking awesome couple together."

Rave narrowed his eyes at Nat, "You know, sometimes you make it really hard for me to pick whether I really hate or really like you."

Nat smirked, stepping forward and resting two hands on Rave's ass, pulling him in close. Rave made an indignant noise at the action but soon had his face occupied with Nat's as they were suddenly very close.

"I think I already made your christmas morning back in the garage." Nat said.

"Fuck you."

"I'm serious."

Was it true? All Nat did was tell Rave he loved him, which he knew anyway. It was obvious by the way Nat went out of his way to make Rave like him, like the fucking pansy he was. So why would he care if Nat said it out loud. Just because Rave kinda had low self esteem and he had been spending the majority of his time with Nat worrying that they might not actually be good together and that moment in the garage sort of sold it to Rave meant absolutely nothing. And just because he hated everyone including himself and Nat was somehow able to transcend that and make Rave not only like another person, but himself as well, didn't mean that Rave cared to have Nat's feelings affirmative to him.

Just because he hated things that felt fake didn't mean he didn't want a christmas present. Because he did, because then he could trick himself into thinking Nat was just as superficial as everybody else and he could go back into his distant bubble away from people and intimacy and he wouldn't have to deal with emotions that felt so good but hurt so bad.

That way he wouldn't have to constantly worry about making Nat hate him yet contradict that worry by actively trying to make Nat hate him just so he wouldn't feel bad when Nat inevitably left him behind. That way Rave could be Rave. That way Rave could hurt alone. That way he wouldn't love such a fucking idiot and fuck everything!

Rave brought Nat's face closer to his and kiss him hard, letting all of his frustration out into the kiss.

"For fucks sakes I'm giving you another blowjob!" He yelled and then dragged Nat into his room.

Probably to give him another blowjob. The entire neighborhood, that had just heard Raves yelling, wasn't quite sure about it though.

* * *

"Hey Jim." Plank said as he slipped into the room Jim was staying in and found the boy looking at something on his phone.

"Oh morning Plank! Merry christmas!" Jim beamed and suddenly, without any warning, he leaned up, standing on a chair and his tiptoes, to peck Plank on the lips.

Plank was shocked, but very happy. As Kevin had suggested a while back in his ultimate wisdom, Plank knew that a peck on the lips from Jim meant something completely different than it would for most people and well, it left Plank feeling fucking on top of himself. Jim was showing that he was ready to initiate kisses, which meant it was probably okay for Plank to go a little further with what he initiated, which was great. Of course Plank wasn't going to strip Jim off and deflower him, but every step in the right direction counts.

No wait! Plank wasn't thinking like that, it was crude and unfair - to Plank when Jim bent over like that, what the fuck was he even doing?

"Sorry, I dropped my phone." Jim giggled.

"My mums got breakfast ready." Plank stated and Jim nodded and followed Plank down the stairs.

Jim thought Plank reacted well to the kiss, but with the expression he made, it was hard to tell. But Jim's fears were chased away as Plank's hand found his and they walked down the stairs holding hands together.

"Morning Jim." Planks mum said as they sat down to eat.

"Oh morning." Jim replied.

It was awkward at first, because Jim hadn't ever really met Plank's mum properly. He had somehow managed to unintentionally avoid her the whole time, but she seemed like a nice lady. She was quiet, like Plank was and most of the talking was done between Plank and Jim as their conversation quickly derailed into a debate about fictional characters and whether they were awesome or not. Planks mum chimed in every now and again but for the most part she didn't have much to say, which was fine by Jim.

After breakfast, Plank lead Jim to the christmas tree where he saw a giant teddy bear and a letter with his name on it.

"No. Fucking. Way!" Jim said excitedly as he turned to Plank. "Thats for me?!"

Plank smiled happily because it seemed he had made a good choice in picking it. "Yeah."

Jim screamed and hugged Plank's legs, quick but tight, he used all of his strength, before running over to the bear. He felt it's fur.

"It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!" He yelled before running quickly to climb on top of the couch and lean over and give Plank another kiss.

Plank laughed. "Read the letter" he said.

Jim nodded and travelled over to the letter with green sparkling letters that read "Jim" on it. He opened it and tears began to well in his eyes. Who knew Plank would be a poet? It was so simple, yet so beautiful, a lot like Plank that way.

_For one Christmas together, and to many more to come.  
Love, Ivan Luzi, your Plank to walk on when you need me._

Jim had quickly turned into a sobbing mess on the floor. Nobody had ever said nor done something so nice to him before. He was overwhelmed with emotion as it gushed out of him in the form of tears.

Plank knelt down, thinking he had done something wrong and Jim quickly threw himself at the larger male, wrapping his arms around his neck. "It's so beautiful, I love it."

* * *

Kevin handed Edd a lavender coloured box which he frowned at. "What is it?"

"It's your christmas present, dork." Kevin said with a grin.

Edd worried, "Oh Kevin, I can't afford to get you anything in return, you shouldn't have done this."

"Hey, I can do what I like. Besides, I'm a prince remember, as long as I have you, I have everything I want." He smiled, "I wanted to give you that."

Edd didn't want to start an argument so he opened the box and found that it had a necklace inside with some writing engraved in Kanji. Taking it out, Edd found that the chain was gold, presumably solid gold, which Edd didn't even want to start thinking about the costs of.

"It means wisdom." Kevin said happily.

Edd felt something clench in his heart as he smiled heartily at Kevin with quivering lips. "I love it Kevin, but I am not all that wise. There is still so much I don't know."

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." Kevin replied.

"Shakespeare?"

"Yeah. I looked that one up last night." Kevin laughed, "But look, you're the smartest guy I know, and you might have to learn lots of shit or whatever, but I know that when we are both old, even if we aren't together I will still come to you for advice."

Edd didn't think it was the most articulate way of expressing his feelings, but he was very glad Kevin was able to do it at all. It was, cute.

He hugged his boyfriend and pulled back. "How do I put this on?"

Kevin leaned forward and grabbed the necklace in his hands, undoing the back and wrapping it around Edd's neck before clipping it in place.

"Beautiful." Kevin commented and kissed Edd's lips. "Now," He continued running his hands together. "time for one last present, but this one is more a present for both of us."

Edd gulped, "Oh dear."

"Be right back."

Kevin scurried back into the room holding out a skimpy female santa costume. "Do you want to put this on for me?"

Edd wasn't too sure on how he felt about the costume. But he knew he wanted to do it to repay Kevin for his gift, so he nodded, took the clothing from Kevin's hands and hurried into the bathroom to change.

"You know I've seen you naked, plenty of times." Kevin called, "Won't make much difference now."

"Kevin, this way it will be a surprise." Edd called back and Kevin chuckled.

Soon, Edd had changed and came out in the red dress with a mini skirt, white fluff rimming the hem. Kevin nearly snorted.

"Fuck Edd, you look great in a skirt."

Edd frowned, "Don't be ridiculous Kevin. I'm doing this for you and because it's christmas, but I don't want to feel so silly doing it."

Kevin got up and kissed Edd. "I mean it dork." He placed a hand on each hip "You've got the figure for it and you already shaved your legs."

"Y-you, really think so?"

"Why are you so excited about it?"

Edd thought about telling Kevin but then decided against it. It would be best if he kept those kinds of thought to himself form now, they could talk about it later.

"No reason." Edd replied.

"Okay." Kevin smirked, "Then how about we get down to business. I'm gonna be a little rough today alright."

"Okay." Edd nodded and suddenly his arm was grabbed by Kevin and he was pushed up against the bed. He gasped but it wasn't really all the uncomfortable to be pushed around by Kevin, when it was part of the sexual games that Kevin would create it was almost exciting. Very intriguing to say the least, Edd had studied and made his own analyses on why certain scenes made people aroused but he was never quite sure what made Kevin tick.

Kevin slapped two hands on Edd's ass and gave it a squeeze. "Mmm" he hummed in his throat as he got down onto his knees. The white fluff at the end of Edd's skirt dangled in Kevin's face but he ducked under it to be faced with Edd bare ass. It seemed he hadn't bothered to put underwear back on. Grabbing Edd's arse cheeks again and pulling them apart he saw his hole, pink and inviting and felt himself getting hard. He licked at it again and heard Edd wail.

"Yeah, you like that?" Kevin chided.

So he was playing that game, Edd had been introduced to it before. It was composed of mainly Kevin doing things to Edd and then snidely asking if Edd liked it despite having the evidence right in front of him. It also involved some discipline type aspects to it as Edd had to do what he was told. Edd supposed Kevin liked it because it made him feel powerful and Edd didn't mind playing along but he didn't really get off on it himself.

"Y-yes, Kevin." He replied.

"Good."

Kevin stood up and flipped Edd's skirt over to give him more access as he took his pants off. He grabbed his half hard cock and slapped it on the top of Edd's ass, leaning forward and grinding into it to feel some friction and physical pleasure as he wrapped his arms around Edd and stuck his fingers in the boys mouth, commanding, "get them wet."

Edd's tongue wrapped around Kevin's fingers and coated them in saliva as the sensation got Kevin harder and harder as his dick rested between Edd's cheeks. Soon his fingers were slick with saliva so he extracted them from Edd's mouth and pushed one harshly inside of him, making Edd whimper.

"Yes, Kevin there." Edd said, without prompt which Kevin liked.

"Yeah, there's good?" He asked again.

"Y-yes!"

Kevin smirked, grabbing a bottle of lube, "Then you can do it yourself." he said throwing the bottle in Edd's direction.

Edd picked it up and turned around with curious eyes and the message that was always there, glistened in Kevin's, "We can stop anytime you want."

Edd nodded and grabbed the lube so that he could stretch himself, which was also his indicator that Kevin could continue with the game. They had reached the point where asking for verbal consent every time was unnecessary but Kevin was still be careful to check.

"While you're at it, suck my dick." He commanded, shoving it suddenly into Edd's face. It had a distinct aroma that filled Edd's nose and suddenly got him in the mood for doing exactly what Kevin asked.

He had gotten a lot better at blowjobs, Edd thought and he liked giving them because they were completely focused on the person receiving them. The action alone didn't give sexual pleasure to both partners which meant it was a sacrificial kind of gesture. Although Edd's stretching also gave him pleasure, it wasn't as equal as other sexual acts would be, meaning Kevin was getting most of the attention for once.

Edd took the head in, which had swollen and become red and tasted the precum there as he flicked his tongue around it. Kevin had always been big, but Edd never noticed it as much as when he was giving him a blowjob. He could never get the whole thing in his mouth like Kevin could with Edd, it was just so large. But with practice he was able to take quite a bit in.

The head was thick as it hit the back of Edd's throat, making him gag a bit but he kept going. When he came up, he flicked his tongue through the ridge of the head or dipped it into the eye and Kevin hummed satisfactorily at it.

"Yeah, fuck." Kevin said as Edd bobbed his head back and forth faster as his fingers continued working him open from behind him.

"Wait, that's enough. Are you ready?" Kevin asked suddenly.

Edd released the large penis and took a deep breath before answering "yes."

"Turn around." Kevin commanded, and Edd did.

Kevin covered his dick in lube and grabbed Edd's hand, pulling them behind the boys back. "You're gonna cum from my dick, and my dick only." He whispered in Edd's ear, making him shiver.

Then, lining up he pushed inside of Edd, stretching him out further with his girth. Edd loved the feeling of being penetrated as he had come to discover. It was a much more intense feeling then when he had simply received a blowjob and he loved the feeling of Kevin's cock sliding in and out of him. The more lube the used, the better, if it was quick and slippery, Edd loved it. Of course he could only ever really admit that when his brain was already being fried from all the sex hormones swirling around in it.

"Do you like that?"

"Yes!"

"Tell me you want it." Kevin thrust in extra fast as he said that.

"Ah! I want you." Edd wailed as the feeling of penetration intensified and caused a pressure ot build in his gut.

"Be more enthusiastic than that!" Kevin commanded, re grabbing Edd's hands and using them as handles to pull Edd back into his thrusts. He looked down and became even more aroused as he saw his own dick disappear into Edd's ass.

"Ah Kevin please thrust harder! I need you!"

And that was all Kevin need to hear. He leaned forward giving him a better angle as he began to thrust harder, faster and deeper. Edd breathed heavily and moaned and writhed, trying to break free of Kevin's grasp to jerk himself off but Kevin didn't allow it. He simply angled upwards so that he was pounding into Edd's prostate with each thrust so that Edd would eventually reach release.

It built and it built, and Kevin was holding his orgasm back as much as he could so that Edd could cum first but it built and built. Luckily, Edd eventually started spluttering hoarsely words that resembled "I'm gonna cum" and he soon did with a moan onto the bed, that was when Kevin went all out.

His hips moved in sporadic motions, doing anything they could to gie Kevin the release he now craved. Edd's skirt swayed back and forth in the force of the thrusts and he sweated hard under the velvety fabric.

Kevin felt heat shoot through his dick and up his spine. He felt tingly in his abdomen and new that he was close until finally he ejaculated with hard sharp thrusts into Edd's ass before collapsing on top of him and panting.

"Kevin, that was... more intense than I was expecting."

Kevin pulled out, his dick going limp as some more cum leaked out before he lay next to Edd and pulled him into a hug. "Are you alright?"

"Oh yes Kevin, most definitely. Just tired."

"Tired, eh. Think you could stomach leaving the house with me then?"

Edd thought about it for a while, then decided that he would. "Just let me have a shower first.

...

Kevin ended up taking Edd to a graveyard, which Edd was not expecting on a christmas. It was still just as hot there as it was at Kevin's house though.

Kevin lead Edd to a tombstone and then looked at it solemnly. "Edd, this is my mum."

Edd gasped. Of course! Edd had never suspected Kevin wouldn't have a mother, but when he thought about it he had never seen one before so it made sense. However, it was a very sad thought, that Kevin's mother was dead.

"I am so sorry for your loss Kevin." Edd said in an exasperated tone.

"It's okay. It happened a long time ago." Kevin said, "But if she were alive I'd want the two of you to meet, so I brought you here."

"I see." Edd said, stepping toward the tomb. "Hello Kevin's mother, it's my pleasure to meet you."

Kevin smiled fondly. "She'd like you." He said, "She'd see you and make some kind of comment about how cute you are and then praise me for being able to get you."

Edd pretended he was embarrassed and said, "Oh I am very flattered, but I'm not that cute."

"I'd tell her that you really are, and then - and then..." Kevin stopped. "Edd, I come here every christmas, to see her and pretend it was like all the christmases before she died."

Edd swallowed and walked over to place a hand on Kevin's shoulder. "I always cry. Without fail, every single time. So I was wondering how I'd see her now that I have you with me."

Kevin rested his head on Edd's shoulder and Edd felt warm droplets of water splash onto his shirt.

"B-but." Kevin's voice was wavering and he sounded a mess. "I think I've finally found someone I can be weak around."

And then Kevin cried and Edd held him and the two stayed that way until all Kevin's tears were gone. Their arms wrapped around each other reassuringly and they clung, clung onto the person they loved for fear of losing them.

The breeze sounded ominous as it picked up leaves and scattered leaves everywhere. The world rolled on and left two boys behind. It wouldn't wait for them like Edd would wait for Kevin, but that didn't matter. They didn't need the world, because they had each other.

And that was more important to both of them than the leaves and which direction they blew in.

* * *

_Five days later_

* * *

"Nat! Rave!" Jim yelled happily. "Long time no see." Jim said as he ran up to them, giving Nat a hug.

He looked at Rave. "Can I hug you?"

"No."

"Good." Jim also pulled Rave into a hug which the guy secretly liked, Jim was sure.

Plank nodded at both Nat and Rave and they nodded back.

"I like that one." Rave said. "He doesn't talk."

"You can't call him "that one" Rave, you'll hurt the big guys feelings. C'mere, daddy'll make it all better."

"No don't fucking hug him! Every time you see Plank I swear you flirt with him. I am not afraid to top for an entire week so don't even tempt me."

Jim giggled a bit. "Edd will be here soon." He announced happily.

"Oh, will Kevin be with him?" Nat asked curiously, and Rave's eyes narrowed at the mention of the name.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, will that be a problem Nat?" Jim asked nervously.

"No, actually I want to talk with him.

Ten minutes or so later, Edd and Kevin made it.

"Hello everybody." Edd said. "Oh hello Rave, it's been a while. And Nat too. How are you all?"

Rave was undecided on what he thought of Edd yet so he shrugged and said "Fine."

Both Nat and Jim answered his question with a hug, which was a sufficient form of communication to them apparently, and Plank said he was doing all right. Which was surprising.

"Are you excited to see the fireworks?" Jim asked.

"They aren't until another hour though, Jim." Edd informed.

"Yeah, I know. But we can still be excited right?"

Behind them Nat approached Kevin and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, can we talk?"

Kevin gave him a strange look but said, "Yeah sure."

They stepped away from the group.

"I just wanted to say, that I forgive you for what happened and I'm glad we're both happy now." Nat started off. "You seem happy with Edd and I'm really happy with Rave, so no hard feelings right?"

"You serious?" Kevin asked, a shocked expression crossing his face.

"Um, yeah?"

"Sorry Rave." Kevin said pulling Nat into a hug. "Brother, I thought you hated me. I can't say how fucking happy I am your okay. I really fucked up and I don't think I ever told you I'm sorry but I really am."

"It's okay Kev." Nat said hugging back. "I get it, you had some issues. But you sorted through those and your fine now, right?"

"Right."

"Then do you think we could give just friends a try?"

"Yeah."

...

"3...2..."

"Happy new year!" Jim shouted too early.

"1..."

Fireworks exploded in the sky in a showy display of colour and light. It was beautiful as it always was, and the crowd roared with excitement.

"Hoo-ray. Another year of fucking idiocy."

"Another year of days, another year of butts."

"I suppose you can be forgiven and move on."

"I'll try even harder this year to get constant good grades."

Kevin turned to Edd and laughed at him. "That's what you want out of this year?"

"At least it is not something to do with bottoms." Edd replied.

Kevin laughed, "Today is for new beginnings right?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Then I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I love you too."

* * *

FUCKKKKKK! This chapter is fucking 12000 words long! Am I amazing or am I amazinger? Anyway I hope you liked the first Alter Waters year and that you will enjoy the following year to come before AW's eventual finish. There is still quite a bit to go through though! Some undercurrents to bring to the surface, some shocking twists, some more answers. The pacing and style are going to change in the second half of the story quite a bit I think and you'll see why when we get there ;D

Also, I want you guys to all vote in your reviews today, do you think Plank and Jim should have sex in the course of the AW storyline? I've been thinking it might ruin the whole cute innocent love thing I've got going on, but at the same time I really want to write shota sex. I have this headcanon where Plank has like a MASSIVE dick. Like fucking Jonah Falcon level shit (not quite that big but whatever)

Finally if you haven't seen the retarded parody comic-ish thing I did to acompany this chapter, head over to my tumblr (june-bugger dot tumblr dot com) and click on the sidebar that says "fanfiction" and you should find it XD

Next time: A new year at Alter Waters Academy Begins.


	34. Chapter 34

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 34**

So this is officially the shortest chapter I have ever written. I'm sorry, I know you've had to wait a while and it was only for this but I've been going through a bit of a block since that really long chapter lol But this chapter sets up some interesting things so you can pass the time by thinking about them, or maybe drawing me fanart, because you know. What else would you want to do with your lives.

* * *

Edd's second year at the prestigious academy of Alter Waters was fraught with stress. Edd didn't realise just how difficult the work would get while he balanced his newfound social life. Over the new year, Nat and Rave had become more accustomed to hanging out with Edd and the rest and so now that they were back at school, the same thing was happening. Not to mention Edd's emotional reunion with Ed and Eddy and his needing to keep up with his relationship with Kevin, it was a nightmare!

They all sat together during their lunch breaks in Kevin's little hide away table and it was all very cramped. Nazz, Kevin, Edd, Eddy and Ed sat in one row in that order from the wall. Across from Nazz was Rave, Nat, Jim and then Plank. During their eating time, many different conversations would be had at once and so many different people would want to talk to each other, it all got so very confusing. Edd normally shut everyone out and ate his food because he couldn't handle all the ruckus, but occasionally when Eddy, Jim or Kevin would say something to him, he'd answer.

Things were made even more complicated by everyone's personal relationships with each other. Eddy was dating Nazz but wasn't sitting near her which Edd wasn't sure if she was okay with or not. Nat and Rave were constantly bickering as they always were and Jim and Plank had taken to feeding each other, which was cute to Edd but apparently it made some others feel uncomfortable. It had all become so stressful that one day Edd decided not to show up and ate lunch in his room instead.

It was the best decision he had ever made.

It was quiet and he could hear himself think, it provided a nice environment for both eating and a little study and Edd didn't have to be worrying about how all of his friends were faring in their personal affairs. He was worry free, and it was nice to take a breather.

Eddy and Ed opened the door and made their way through toward the end of lunch, both of them had a free period before their next class.

"Oh here's where you are Double d." Eddy said in a mix of relief and irritability. "Why didn't you show up for lunch?"

Edd sighed, unsure as to whether he should tell the truth or not. He didn't want to hurt his friends, but he had no excuse in mind to tell them instead. In the end Edd knew he'd just have to explain it to them delicately, it wasn't them, he just didn't like the noise and all the people.

"I just felt like having my lunch in a little piece and quiet for a change. I have nothing against anyone at the table, but their are so many I sometimes become overwhelmed.

Eddy rolled his eyes, "Geez Double d, you are such a pussy sometimes."

Ed had the opposite response, "It's okay Double dee, we understand."

Edd smiled, even if Eddy had a unique way of expressing it, both of his like-christened friends supported him, and that was great.

"Thank you."

* * *

"Here it comes." Nat announced smugly as he drew his arm back and pitched the ball as fast as he could at Kevin.

Kevin smiled just as arrogantly as he swung his bat at the ball creating a loud bang as the two object's connected and the ball flew high into the air.

"Fuck, I'm not getting that." Nat said and Kevin laughed in response.

It had been about three months since he and Nat had tried being friends again and it had been going great so far. Kevin hadn't realised how much he missed Nat as a best friend. Nazz and Kevin had gotten very close growing up together but now they had drifted apart and became the kind of friends that could talk and hang out when they needed to but for the most part they lived separate lives. Nat had been the cause of that, Nat had pulled Kevin away from the little bubble he had created around himself and Nazz and when Kevin had fucked that up it left him unusually broken.

Edd had put him back together again but only having a boyfriend wasn't good for anyone. Kevin now had a boyfriend and a best friend and they were separate entities, it felt great and ever since his last session with Pantene a week back he had been feeling even better. Ready to take on the world. That was until a certain face appeared and ruined everything.

"E-Ethan?" Nat gasped in surprise at the face of his old friend. How long had it been since they had spoken to each other? Far too long for Ethan to still like him that was for sure.

Kevin scowled at the boy as he approached, he was the fucker that had messed with Edd back in the first semester. What the fuck did he want now?

Ethan smiled but it wasn't the same arrogant smile the other two boys had been wearing earlier, it was soft and genuine and it was exactly as Nat had remembered it.

"Hi guys." He said with a hearty smile. "How have you been."

Kevin frowned, what was he being so friendly for? Did he want to play suck up with Kevin while he abused Edd, what the fuck was his game.

"Hey Ethan, how are you?" Nat said back happily. The guy was just the same as when they were kids. Nat had no idea what everyone was on about, but he wouldn't join in in the gossip game.

"I'm good Nathan, it's been a while."

"Hey call me Nat, bro. It has been a while... sorry about that."

Ethan laughed and waved his hands in front of his face. "No not at all Nathan - erm, Nat - I understand."

Nat smiled, "Aw come here you big pushover" he said, dragging the other boy into a side hug.

Kevin was really starting to hate the whole chums scene playing out in front of him. It couldn't have been a different Ethan could it? What if it was, their could easily be more than one Ethan in the school and the one in front of him hadn't specified a last name. Maybe Kevin should just give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Anyway, I have a gift for the both of you."

"A gift?" Nat asked.

"For me too?" Kevin added, pointing a finger in his own direction.

"Yes." He said cheerfully and then, regarding Kevin, he said, "And for your partner, Edd, too."

Kevin frowned, "What is this gift?"

Ethan rummaged around in his bag for a little bit and then extracted three golden envelopes. He handed two to Kevin gingerly and the other to Nat and finished by beaming at both of them with a proud look on his face.

"They are invitations to a ball my family are organizing. I'd like to see all three of you there."

Kevin inspected the envelopes to find that both had names printed on them in an extravagant lavender-coloured font. One read "To Prince Kevin." and the other read "To scholar Edward."

"What are we, in the middle ages?" Kevin said spitefully as he waved the envelopes around in his hand.

Ethan chuckled softly, "I thought the titles would be a bit of fun, don't take them too seriously."

Kevin narrowed his eyes further, still not really trusting Ethan. "Why am I and Edd invited?" He asked, eyes full of suspicion.

"Why wouldn't the two of you be invited?" He said with heart. "The prince and Alter Waters best students. Of course these kinds of people would be invited."

"Right, of course."

A pitying expression crossed Ethan's face and it really made Kevin mad. Where the fuck did he got off looking like that? Kevin had no reason to be pitied, he was being a fucking arrogant dick.

"Kevin, your suspicion hurts me." He said, and the strange thing was, Kevin believed him. "I am just trying to be friendly and rekindle old bonds." He continued the next sentence with gusto of his bright new idea, "In fact, if it would make you feel any more comfortable, all three of you may invite one of your friends to attend as well. That way everyone will be happy."

Nat turned to look at Kevin, "Come on man, it will be fun." He said as he nudged Kevin in the arm with his elbow softly, "Give it a chance at least."

Kevin looked down at the envelopes again, he didn't want to make a decision without consulting Edd about it first because if it was Ethan Thames, the same Ethan that messed with Edd during the first semester, Edd definitely wouldn't go. He groaned. But if it was Ethan Thames, as the prince, Kevin would be expected to attend to keep up relations with other powerful families.

Only one way to find out for sure, Kevin flipped the envelopes over and read at the bottom right corner "From Ethan Thames." Kevin growled.

"I'll come, but only because I have to. Don't expect Edd to show up though." Kevin hissed as he stomped forward and bumped into Ethan's shoulder as he passed, storming away.

Nat looked worried as he watched his friend walk away.

"What's wrong with him?" Ethan asked with the same worry. Jesus he was a good guy, why couldn't Kevin see that, even when Ethan was treated like shit, he still worried.

"Don't worry about him. It's just that -" Nat sighed, "Somebody told him that you did some horrible things to Edd, and I think he believes them."

Ethan gasped, "Why would I do something like that?" He sounded appalled and hurt by the accusations. "I respect Eddward very much! I'd like to be more like him if I could, why would I want to hurt him in any way?"

Nat smiled weakly and ran a hand through Ethan's hair, "I know buddy. You're a good guy, don't worry about these stupid fucking rumors. I'll talk to Kevin."

Ethan smiled big, "You will? Thank you so much Nathan!"

"It's Nat" the taller boy chuckled, "And no probs." He paused, "I missed you man."

"Me too."

* * *

"Eddy I honestly think you should leave Sarah's cat alone. And I do not think that it will impress Nazz if you are able to do that, in fact I think it is a rather cruel thing to do to a cat."

"Aww c'mon." Eddy coaxed, "It'll be harmless."

"Eddy, I refuse to partake in any heinous schemes against innocent feline cosmopolites."

Eddy rolled his eyes, "There you go using words I don't understand again.

Suddenly Kevin burst through the door with an angry expression on his face and Edd gasped as he saw it. In his hands were to letters and he was panting and puffing; it seemed he had ran to Edd's room from where ever it was that he had just been.

When Kevin had caught his breath he looked up at Edd, his eyes communicating something strange before he shut the door behind him, made his way quickly toward Edd and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm so fucking angry." He said and his voice frightened Edd with the force that was in it, behind him a confused Ed looked on and a worried Eddy.

Kevin raised shaking hands and placed them on Edd's cheeks as he kissed the smaller boy, hoping that his fury would soon subside. Eddy would normally be horrified by what he had just seen but he let the sight slide as he could see that Kevin wasn't exactly feeling himself.

_I know you feel like your power to choose has been taken away from you, _Kevin spoke to himself inside his brain. _But you have to calm down for Edd's sake._

Just... calm down.

"Kevin, is everything okay?" Edd asked calmly as Kevin pulled away from their kiss and stared into Edd's eyes.

He took another deep breath, "I think I'm okay, we have a problem though."

Eddy resisted the urge to say "We or just you." as he looked on in annoyance.

"What problem?"

Kevin handed Edd's envelope to him and the smaller boy inspected it curiously. "I haven't opened mine yet but their invitations to a family ball we've both been invited to." When Edd looked up with a confused face as to why that might be bad, Kevin finished his sentence and Edd gulped. "By Ethan Thames."

Edd was sufficiently shocked, why would Ethan invite he and Kevin to a ball, it made no sense. And what was making Kevin so angry, they could easily just decline their invitations and not have to worry about whatever game Ethan was playing.

"I have to go." Kevin said, "If I don't chose to myself, my father will make me, there's no doubt he's already been informed about this, Mr Thames and him are old friends."

Edd frowned, well that would explain why Kevin was so angry. He didn't want to be difficult and say something like "Can't you just say no anyway?" so instead he decided he'd support his boyfriend in a different way.

"Kevin, let us go. I will be fine and with me there hopefully you won't have to be so focus on the fact that you were forced to go."

Kevin blinked, Edd still didn't know about Kevin's obsession with power. He couldn't possibly have deduced that about Kevin, so it must be Edd's intuition telling him that being forced to go was what was getting to Kevin. Well, he had stormed in in an angry huff but that was beside the point.

"Edd, he treated you like shit last time, don't worry about it, I'll be okay."

"No, I insist, Kevin." Edd stated firmly. "I would like to accompany you."

Kevin couldn't help but smile. Edd being assertive was almost funny when Kevin thought about how submissive he was. "Okay, thanks Edd."

Kevin kissed Edd again and this time Eddy had a definite problem with it, miming a vomiting action and making Ed giggle.

"Oh and we get to invite one person to come with us." Kevin said as he remembered. This perked Eddy's ears up as he stepped forward, placing a hand on Edd's shoulder.

"I'm coming too Double d." He said, "I'll be fucked if I let that guy mess around with you."

Edd smiled at him, "Okay. I guess it's settled then."

* * *

Nat ran off in pursuit of Kevin and left Ethan standing alone in the field. He sighed and cracked his neck before flipping his phone out and dialing a number.

It rang a number of times before somebody picked up.

"Did you do it?" A man's voice asked.

Ethan sighed uncomfortably and said, "Yeah, he fell for it easy. I also managed to get him to convince the prince to come as well, not like he wouldn't anyway." Ethan chuckled, "His daddy would make him."

"Good work son." The voice said.

Ethan shrugged, "How about you, have you got the tape?"

"Yes, everything is fine here."

Ethan chuckled, "I guess that means it's only a matter of time now."

"Definitely."

* * *

Next time: Some more shit happens before the ball. XD


	35. Chapter 35

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 35**

Nat made his way quickly to Kevin's room in search of him. Kevin was really angry but Nat needed to explain to him that what people were saying were just rumors. Ethan would never act so horribly to somebody, Nat knew it. He needed to get to the bottom of things and figure out why everyone was spreading rumors so that he could sort it all out. Otherwise all his friends would be fighting and that was just something he didn't want.

He scurried down the hall toward Kevin's room straight away but he didn't receive an answer when he knocked on the door. Knowing that he didn't have enough time to debate with himself whether it was because Kevin was being anti-social or because he was somewhere else, Nat assumed the latter and went on his way.

He had to be in Edd's room that was the only other place he would have gone, so Nat sped over as fast as he could, practically breaking the door down as he rattled on it.

A nervous Edd opened the door. "Oh, it is you Nat." He said with a relieved smile.

"Is Kev here?" Nat asked in a puff before Edd had the chance to say anything else.

"I'm sorry, you just missed him. Did you need to speak to him about what has recently transpired, the invitations to the ball, that is?" Edd asked innocently.

Nat thought for a moment. The best way to get to Kevin was probably through Edd so if Nat could get Edd to help him maybe it would be easier. Yeah, that was a perfect plan. Cute little Edd would be able to help Nat out.

"Actually can I talk to you about it?"

Edd blinked a couple of times but then nodded, "Come in then, I suppose."

* * *

"Edd's just freaked out by all the people." Jim explained to Plank, who hadn't asked anything. "I still worry about him though. He seems so happy that they are all there but he always looks so tired afterwards. I think socializing with that many is really too much for him."

Plank nodded as he continued listening. He tended not to respond simply because he had little to say on the matter, he did not know much about Edd. Besides that, Plank knew that Jim liked having someone he could ear-bash without annoying.

"I don't think Edd knows how to break up his social life properly, he can only really focus on one person at a time, that's just the way he is." Jim continued, "But now that there are so many, he can see that it is more convenient to spend time with many at once. But at the same time it really bothers him, so he's stuck between his rationality telling him the right thing to do is to show up and his emotions that are going 'noooo'."

Jim made some absurd hand movements while he talked, Plank noticed. Well, he always did but Plank was freshly noticing it. It was one of the things Plank loved most about Jim, was the way he got so excited, or at the very least animated, about everything. Jim was just so full of life ad Plank loved it.

"On top of all that I get the feeling Eddy and Nazz are going to break up soon."

Plank shot Jim a perplexed look, what was he talking about?

"You mean you didn't see it?" Jim asked, "They haven't been talking during lunch for at least a week now. I don't know either one of them too well but I think it's only a matter of time. Which is sad."

Plank looked over when he heard Jim's voice waver, to see the much smaller boy had began to pout a bit, "I hate it when couples break up."

Plank berated himself internally for finding Jim's sadness cute. Well, it was the face that was cute and it made Plank wanna smile at how cute it was but that would be so inappropriate and - bad Plank!

"W-why?" He managed to choke out, his face blotchy with red.

"Why do you think?" Jim said a little snapily. "I want to see people happy together and when they break up it's sad."

Plank wasn't offended very easily, neither did what Jim just do make him upset. But he was caught off guard, it wasn't every day you heard Jim being so bitter and it made Plank rather concerned.

Seeing Plank's face, Jim sighed, "I suppose really it's because I have hang-ups about people leaving relationships." Jim said and then laughed at himself. "I knew those psychology classes would come in handy."

He paused and then said, "Plank, let's talk more in our room."

Plank didn't say a word as Jim and him returned to their room, which was pleasantly absent of a Nat.

"I've told you before that my parents aren't around a lot at home right?" Jim said as he wordlessly guided Plank to sit down before he climbed onto his boyfriends lap.

Plank nodded.

"Well I've been thinking about it a lot and I think I might have developed some kind of separation anxiety." Jim explained, "I don't think I can handle being on my own for too long otherwise I start to worry that the people I love will never come back."

Plank wanted to tell him that he'd never leave Jim and that he was so in love with him, he could feel it in his bones. But regardless of whether the last part was true or not, Plank didn't want to make promises like that. How could he? It'd probably do more harm than good because people changed. Plank wasn't the same arrogant brat he had been before the accident so who was to say he wouldn't change more in the future. And who was to say that his feelings wouldn't change?

And that was what sucked, that he didn't know and he could never really know nor make promises that might make Jim feel better.

"So when I see two people who seem happy together break up, it makes me feel strange." Jim continued, "Vulnerable I guess. Kinda like evidence that the perfect world I have made for myself could crumble at any moment. And that scares me."

Plank ran circles over Jim's chest in an attempt to reassure him, which seemed to work well enough. Jim's hands raised to hug Plank's closer to him.

"I really like you Plank." Jim said. "I love you even." Jim giggled at that, "So it's both really great that we are together but also really scary. I know I told you that we should make mistakes together and I obviously still think that but sometimes it's hard to just accept that things might go to shit without freaking out a bit."

Plank had no idea how to reply to something like that so he continued his chest rubbing with a little more vigor.

"I think Edd's the same." Jim said, "But instead, he's afraid he won't please people and that fear makes it hard for him to deal with things at time. He fears that he might make people hate him, and he doesn't want that."

"Jim." Plank finally spoke up and Jim shifted and turned to face him on his lap.

"What is it?"

"I love you too." He responded as he stared into Jim's lime green eyes, "Definitely."

He brought his face in closer and closer, taking in every stray detail of Jim's face that he had previously missed. His white skin, his softly arching eyebrows and the myriad of colours dancing along his iris. His nose was small and button like, his lips tight and thin, his grin wide (though Plank could not see it then; Jim had his mouth slightly open but with no specific expression) and his hair hanging slightly in his vision. It was a little curly and slightly matted but it was what Plank had come to appreciate. Jim's dishevelled hair was a perfect reflection of his personality, which was: he didn't care what people thought, he just wanted to be happy. He was beautiful, obviously adorable and just fuck.

Jim was going through a similar experience, he took in Planks angled eyes and short but thick lashes, his hair swooped to the right and the prickly shaved head that was underneath it. He took in Plank's thick eyebrows and the rings the protruded from the end of his left, he saw the scar that existed underneath and the longness of Plank face. He was so handsome and he looked very hero-like in Jim's opinion. A silent hero that was.

"Jim." Plank said as his face drew even closer, so much so that he could feel the other boys breath on his neck, light and warm.

Jim didn't break eye contact, even when he felt his chest twist and his throat clench up. A thud of his heartbeat seemed to rattle throughout his entire body, the whole experience was like a sensory overload. Jim was painfully aware of everything, every small detail, every light touch, Plank's hand's slowly resting on either of his arms. A sweat drop, his clammy palms, the tightening of muscle in his abdomen, a swallow, a blink, a sigh.

Lips parting, warmth, electricity.

The hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, his Plank's leg's twitching nervously beneath him and the lines in his neck deepening as he too swallowed. Plank's hands slid up Jim's arm, he felt the cold of fingertips glide across his neck, up under his chin as a single finger found it's way behind his ear and a thumb brushed across his lips. Jim's face was cradled in his hands, and Jim finally broke eye contact by shutting them, giving himself into the feeling as the agonizing slowness of the moment distilled into the steam that rolled off their bodies and Plank's lips landed firmly on Jim's.

Jim had kissed Plank before plenty of times and they had even tried adding tongue a couple of times as well, but nothing they had done had ever felt like this. It wasn't just the wetness of Plank's lips moving against Jim's or the sensation of his hands getting tangled in Jim's hair. Nor was it the sharp angle Jim could feel with his hand's on Plank's waste nor the closeness and the heat or Plank's tongue sliding between Jim's lips and opening them up. It was how secure the whole thing was somehow able to make Jim feel. In that moment, he felt like he could do anything, and he and Plank might melt through the carpet and he wouldn't notice. He was in Plank's arms and he wasn't going anywhere and it was pretty incredible.

Jim lost himself for a moment and couldn't recall how long their tongues had been roll over each other or where their hands traveled in the heat of it all. He needed air though and he felt the smooth departure of their lips as he took in a shaky breath, the air cold and cutting at his lungs, a dire contrast to the warmth of Plank's breath.

Pulling back, Plank saw that Jim's face was flushed and he looked slightly dazed His lips were still wet with saliva and were glistening as the liquid reflected the light. He thought he might have to throw Jim off his lap to stop the boy from feeling his boner through his pants, but luckily his boy had decided to behave itself.

"Haaah." Jim made a strange moaning noise as his eyes lit up and his blush deepened (was that even possible.) "I have never felt like that before."

He smiled and Plank gulped, "Thank you, that made me feel a lot better about things. And not just because you're a really good kisser!" Jim laughed, "It meant more then that, I could tel."

Plank smiled back and Jim scooted forward about to say something, "Plank I -" But he was interrupted by his own moaning.

Shocked expressions covered both of their faces as they stared at each other nervously.

"I-I haven't ever felt that before either." Jim stuttered and then looked down to see what he had feared, Plank looked down to loose a lot of vital blood and be rushed to hospital.

There, plain as day and protruding from Jim's shota-esque shorts was his little boy boner. Well, it was actually a "Boner of a boy who is definitely of consenting age who just happens to be small" but we'll forget that little detail for the sake of humor shall we?

Jim screamed and practically launched off of Planks lap at the speed of a jet as he wore a mortified expression. He dived into the blankets of Nat's bed and pulled them over himself.

"Plank how could you? I'm so embarrassed!"

"Hey I didn't do anything, that was all you!"

Jim really wished he had a retort for that. "I- I know that but," Jim grabbed a pillow and shoved his face in it. "Uggghh!"

* * *

"So you see." Nat finished, "This was all just a big misunderstanding.

Edd sighed and frowned. Whatever thumb Ethan had Nat under, Edd wanted him out from it. "Nathan, you do realise that I have been subject to Ethan's berating first hand? I'd say that is proof enough that these aren't simply rumors, unless of course you are insinuating that I am a liar."

Nat blinked at Edd, "No way, really?"

"Yes way." Edd replied, "He told me some not very nice things about Kevin and told me 'it'd be better if I fucked off' so that he wouldn't have to deal with me."

Nat didn't know what to say. He had no idea Edd had actually spoken to Ethan directly and Ethan had been harsh to him. But in all the years nat had known him he had never been like that! It just didn't make any sense.

"I'm not calling you a liar. I just, I've known Ethan for a long time, I can't imagine him acting like that towards someone."

Edd nodded, "Sometimes the discovery that one of the people close to us has made a turn for the worse can be hard to take in. But I can assure you he has changed."

Nat sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right, cutie."

Edd placed his hand on Nat's shoulder and smiled pityingly at the boy, his offer of condolences. "Oh by the way, Nat." He continued, "I don't mind the nickname, I understand it to be a term of endearment you use with many and is therefore not as intimate as it might outwardly appear, but Kevin might not feel the same, just be careful when you use it."

Nat laughed, "Sure thing, cutie."

* * *

Rave sighed, "I don't know what I hate more, the fact that Nat isn't back from baseball with Kevin yet or that I actually care about it."

"I'm sure he'll be here soon." Nazz responded, "Don't stress about it."

Rave looked at her with narrow eyes, "I will stress about it." He said.

"Awww! Rave that's so cu-"

"I want a blowjob."

Nazz made a strange shrieking sound and Rave grinned at her mischievously.

She rolled her eyes. "Rave would it kill you to just be straightforward for once?"

"Yes."

She sighed deeply. Rave was a fun enough guy to be around, but sometimes he was so stubborn, it was almost laughable. But she supposed his head was in the right place (dear god, bad choice of words) he just had a round about way of expressing himself.

"Do you think they're fucking?" Rave asked.

This time Nazz really frowned at him. "Rave, there are some things you shouldn't joke about. Those two have history and there is no way either one would be willing to cheat. They know what pain in a relationships is like."

Rave looked at her with curious eyes, "What are you talking about?"

"Um, didn't Nat tell you?" She asked, nervously.

'I know that Nat and Kevin didn't really have a great relationship but other then that I know approximately shit all."

"Oh. W-well it isn't really my place to say anything."

"Figures, you'd say that." Rave scoffed.

"Why don't you ask Nat about it?"

At that moment Nat had swooped in and sat next to Rave, slinging an arm over his boyfriend's shoulder. "Ask me about what?"

Rave looked at Nat who was eager faced and then Nazz who looked like she was feeling guilty as fuck and his face changed into an expression that can only be described as "ugh."

"Nothing." He said with a sigh as he stood up. "Come to my bedroom with me, I want a blowjob."

* * *

Edd narrowed his eyes at Jim carrying a blanket over his shoulder. "I definitely think you are overreacting. What if Plank thinks he has done something wrong?"

"He did do something wrong!" Jim huffed with flushed cheeks. "Besides, I think he finds all of it funny."

"Oh he does?" Edd asked curiously. "How can you tell with him?"

"His eyes twinkle."

"His eyes twinkle?"

"His eyes twinkle."

Edd sighed, not quite sure what "his eyes twinkle" actually meant.

"Fine, you may sleepin here for tonight."

"Yay!" Jim squealed, "Love you Edd!"

"Yes, yes."

* * *

"How did you cum so fast?" Nat teased as he reached over to smack Rave on the ass.

Rave rushed his hands to belatedly guard his backside as he hissed, "It's your fault! I didn't expect you to fucking devour it like that."

Nat groaned, "You make it sounds so gross."

"Yeah well get the fuck over it."

Nat smirked and grabbed Rave by the back of the head as he pulled him in for a kiss, "Alright babe," Rave growled, "Look, I needa step outside for a bit and make a call, but after that I'll come in and we can finish what we started.

"And what if I don't want to finish it?" Rave asked.

"Well I guess you'll miss out on topping then?"

Rave narrowed his eyes. "Hurry up, your ass is mine you pygophilic fuck."

Nat stepped outside and pulled his phone from his pocket, staring at the name he was about to dial.

He had to figure things out, he didn't know what to believe anymore. He knew Edd would never say anything like that if he didn't believe it was true, but what if he was somehow mistaken? What if he misinteperated what Ethan had said, or perhaps it was a completely different guy! Nat could never be sure.

_Ring, ring._

"Hello Natha - Nat." He said and Nat smiled fondly. "What are you calling for?"

"Um, actually it was to ask you about something you said to Edd?"

"Oh sure, what is it?"

Nat swallowed, if this was somehow a misunderstanding Nat would seem like a big asshole for saying this, "Aparently you were saying some pretty nasty things to him, I dunno wat exactly but yeah."

There was a pause and then Nat heard Ethan sigh on the other end of the phone. "Nat, can you keep a secret?"

"Sure dude."

"Well because of the family code, I can't tell you what but I got some information tiping me off about something to do with Edd."

Nat's eyes widened, "Really!?"

"Yeah." Ethan replied, "but I couldn't tell him either. You know how my dad is, he'd fip." Nat made a grunt of agreement, "I - I didn't know what else to do Nat!" His voice grew desperate, "I couldn't outright explain it to him so I tried to scare him off!"

His voice cracked a couple of times and it sounded like he might begin to cry. Nat felt his heart flood with sorrow.

"I feel bad about it now, especially because it didn't work and now everyone thinks I'm an asshole but if I don't do something Edd will get hurt, he might even die!"

Nat gasped. No way, who would possibly want to kill Edd?

"I've said too much." Ethan lamented.

"No it's okay don't worry." Nat said slowly. "But, can you tell me exactly what you said to him?"

"Yeah," Ethan replied in a defeated tone. "I basically told him he should break-up with Kevin. But a little harsher than that."

"Wait, why would you - wait?"

"It's exactly as you're thinking Nat."

"Someone is after Kevin! They want to be Kevin's partner so they can become royal and Edd is standing in their way!?"

"Exactly."

* * *

So I have decided after heavy deliberation, that Jim and Plank will NOT have sex during the course of AW. This little scene is as raunchy as it gets, but, that doesn't mean I don't plan to write glorious shota-sex between Plank and Jim, no no no. In fact, I think this way, my fans who like the Plim will get even more out of it.

Announcing my next big project: All Aboard The Shota Express (Yes all my writing have long names) It will involve a punk Plank who is part of a Rock band along with Nat, Boomer and Marie. Like Aw this fic will have my own personal variations from the "canon" at least where all these OC's are concerned but a lot more of it will be similar. I was also debating whether to actually post this fic on ff dot net (I will) because it will be VERY OC HEAVY. But it will also explore the idea of Kevin and Edd's relationship as a maried couple, from their sons point of view anyway. It will also contain female Al because I wanted it too and that's really all there is to say on the matter.

Here's a sneak peak.

_"Plank," I whispered as my shirt was lifted over my head to reveal pink nipples standing on end. "This feels weird. I'm cold ."_

"It's alright." Plank responded as he lifted his drumstick from the set he had left them on. "You'll get hot soon enough."

I gasped as the stick was pushed inside of me, Plank smirked. "You're so fucking cute. Now hold still."

...

* * *

_**All Aboard the Shota Express**_

* * *

Hi, my name is Jim Marion. I'm just a normal boy trying to find his way in life, well normal except for the fact that I am every internet creepers wet dream that is. I also happen to have two dads, but I guess that's pretty normal for me. But on closer consideration, I guess I'm not really that normal at all am I? And my life is about to get even more not-normaler. Which isn't a word but who cares for now?

It all started on my first day at a new highschool. My Dad works as a lawyer and he recently moved to a new firm in peach creek. Papa works as a mechanic and it was easy for him to get a transfer here as well plus apparently this was the town they both grew up in so it seemed like the perfect place to move to.

I wasn't too fussed really, I mean there was my old friends but I didn't want to complain or anything. Dad and Papa work really hard together to make me happy so it's the least I can do to pay them back.

So there I was, in a new school surrounded by people I didn't know and that's when I met him and my life changed, (for better or for worse.)

Ivan "Plank" Luzi.

Buckle up your seatbelts kids, you're in for a bumpy ride.

* * *

Next time: Stuff happens!


	36. Chapter 36

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 36**

Some dark themes in this chapter.

* * *

The day of the ball that Edd and Kevin were invited to seemed to come too fast. Edd and Kevin barely had time to prepare themselves for it mentally. It was sure to be difficult, knowing what Ethan had done in the past. Edd wasn't sure he was exactly up to it, but he made sure to keep that a secret from Kevin, he needed to be their to support his boyfriend and making Kevin stress would only be counterproductive.

They were given the invitations two weeks in advance and so, on the weekend a week before the ball, Kevin took them shopping in order to buy clothes for the event. Really it was just to get Edd some more suitable (no pun intended) formal wear, but Kevin had decided it'd be fun to get one too. He wanted to get matching outfits. As much as Edd was against reinforcing gay stereotypes, sometimes Kevin did let that side of him show. Matching outfits? Really?

Edd didn't care though, it was these kinds of quirks that he liked about Kevin, they made him feel more approachable. Well they would have if Edd didn't already know Kevin rather well but they reminded Edd that Kevin was as complex a person as any and not just a raging hormonal sex machine. Though that side of him was fine too, in certain circumstances.

One thing Ed didn't realise though was that when Kevin said they'd get matching suits, he meant he'd have matching suits tailor made. Edd was both mortified and very glad. He had these overtly protruding hips, see and his finger made it very difficult to fit him. He was glad to find though, that the tailor was very good at her job and made the suit to fit his dimensions perfectly. He didn't look ridiculous at all, which was great.

It was a regular black suit but with a blue undertone and it was marvelously shiny. Under it, he wore a normal cream-coloured shirt and bright blue tie. It looked great on him, even if Edd did say so himself, but Kevin looked far better.

As would be expected of Kevin, he had gone against the status quo and was wearing an embroidered vest instead of the suit jacket he'd be expected to wear. It was a creamy brown colour and it hung close to his body, accentuating his form. His pant's were normal too but his undershirt had a series of frills around the cuff and down the centre that "fancied them up." Once again, Kevin was able to take something that should look ridiculous on any normal person and make it look... hot.

The week after while they were waiting for the moment they would have to leave was by far the worst. Edd couldn't really focus on anything other than the night to come. He kept running through all kinds of possible situations in his mind, things that could go wrong and ways to fix it. He didn't know what game Ethan was trying to play, but if it involved trying to hurt Edd he wouldn't let it happen.

_Edd I was having a nice nap and now here you go worrying again and waking me up. How fucking useless are you?_

And then there was that. But Edd's voice had become a thing he could easily ignore and when he did, it often left him alone. After all, as it once told him and as logic dictates, he was a part of Edd himself, and there was only so long one could ignore one's self before one gave up. Now, in the knowledge that the prior sentence will never make any sense, Edd promptly continued both worrying and ignoring his voice.

He and Kevin had a lot of sloppy makeouts before as well. And by "sloppy makeouts" Edd of course meant being tied to a bedpost while Kevin cummed all over his torso and then proceeded to make out with him. What else would sloppy makeouts mean, seriously? Anyway, they relieved the stress and Edd was willing to admit that they were not at all dirty and disgusting because they were being used as a tool to help better Edd's mood and clear his mind. And it was important that Edd have a clear mind, so he would not be scolding himself on Kevin's inventive use of bodily fluids and Edd's willingness for it.

* * *

Nat had been spending the week in a similar kind of impatience. He had invited Rave to come with him to the ball and they too had sorted out what they'd wear. Nat was worrying about was what might happen to Edd. He had tried to get more information out of Ethan but the guy refused to talk, and who would blame him? He must be so scared and worried and he must regret what he had to do so much. He was only trying to help, but he couldn't explain that to Edd.

Ethan had made him promise not to say anything because he had found a way to stop what was going to happen without Edd ever finding out about it. He said it would be better if Edd never knew so that he wouldn't worry and it wouldn't strain the experience of their night at the ball together. Ethan just wanted Kevin and Edd to have fun, he was such a selfless guy.

That was what made Nat the angriest though. He was such a good guy but nobody would ever know. He was so nice that he was willing to go through everyone hating him in order to keep them safe. He had always been like that.

Always.

"_Nathan you can't keep doing this! Can't you see that the prince is just using you?" Ethan said frantically as he stepped in front of Nat's way._

"Ethan, Kev's cool alright. And he's good at fucking, so shut up."

"He's good at fucking!?" Ethan repeated in an appalled tone. "Do you hear yourself? You're fourteen years old! That isn't something you should be saying, let alone about another boy!"

Nat growled, "What's it got to do with being a dude or not!? I don't care if he's a boy or a girl, I like both alright, so does he and sometimes we do it with a bunch of girls too if that makes you feel any better."

Ethan's mouth hung wide open in shock. "No it does not make me feel better! I repeat, you're fourteen! But on top of that he practically raped you and now you're playing his game? You need to stay away from him, he's bad news!"

"No, you need to stay away from me!" Nat growled as he poked Ethan in the chest, hard. "I can do whatever the fuck it is I want, alright? And my age has got nothing to do with it."

And after that, Nat never heard from Ethan again, until now. He was just trying to help and Nat had pushed it in his face like it was nothing. He was such an asshole back then and yet Ethan had stayed nice to him the whole time. He had always been looking out for Nat, and now it was Nat's turn to look out for him.

* * *

Edd pulled the silky texture of the jacket over his shoulders and as his hands emerged from behind the cuffs, he took a moment to feel the fabric between his forefinger and thumb. It was so silky and smooth. Edd loved it, and felt like gushing over how much he loved it, but he thought that he might come across as silly if he did as he was only in the presence of Eddy and Ed and Eddy had already given Edd shit about how fancy he looked.

Eddy had a plain average suit, not tailor made, no undertone, just a suit. Edd supposed for all intrinsic purposes, it looked fine but he wished Eddy took a little more pride in his appearance. Oh never mind that, it was great that Eddy wanted to come and support Edd and that was all he should be focusing on.

"Ed wants to come with you too Double dee." Ed said as he looked at both Eddy and Edd in suits.

Edd smiled pityingly at his friend, "Ed, I wish you could come too, but it is not like you can show up unannounced. So just stay here and we will be back soon."

"Yeah, no sweat Ed." Eddy chimed in.

Ed pulled them both into a huge hug and said, "Bye bye guys."

Edd was greeted at the door by Kevin, who planned to drive himself, Edd, Eddy, Nat and Rave to the ball together.

"You look great in that." Kevin said as he gave Edd a quick peck on the lips.

"As do you, Kevin." Edd replied and Eddy groaned as he rolled his eyes. Edd giggled a bit. "Where are the others?"

"We're here~" Nat called chipperly as he and Rave sidled up next to them.

"I also invited Nazz." Kevin explained, "So that Eddy could be with his girlfriend."

"You did?" Eddy asked excitedly.

"Yeah." Kevin replied stiffly.

Edd looked between Kevin and Eddy and blinked a couple of times before he exclaimed excitedly. "Kevin and Eddy, are you two trying to get along with each other?"

Both looked at each other and then at Edd as they said in unison, "No way! I was just being nice."

Everybody stopped and everything suddenly got very awkward.

"Let's just pretend that those two syncing up wasn't entirely fucking creepy, all things considered and get to this fucking shit hole already?" Rave sighed as he pushed through the other boys. Nat followed behind him and the others eventually fell in toe.

Rave said under his breath to Nat "If those two develop some kind of male rivalry thing towards Edd I will kill myself. Or just stab my eyes out, as long as I don't have to see it. It's so cliche, it makes the back of my eyeballs burn."

Nazz joined them after a while and they all piled into a limo that took them to the Thames' house. The ride as relatively short and only housed some short conversations before the car pulled up outside the house.

They approached the door and the tickets were handed to a guard, the three tickets earning six people entry.

Inside was very beautiful, but by now you're probably bored of reading descriptions of large rich people houses, so let's just say it was like the rest but with a little more pink. There were already a lot of people scattered around by the time they go there and many of them were dancing.

"Nat! Kevin! Edd!" Ethan said as he walked forward and shook the hands of all of them. "And these are your guest?" He continued and shook all of the other's hands as well. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"It's not like I had much of a choice." Kevin said under his breath.

"Thanks for inviting us." Nat smiled.

Kevin made an "ugh" sound. It seemed he still hadn't figured out that Ethan was a pile of shit. Oh well, it's not like it really made a difference anyway.

"Come on in and have a look around. Maybe talk to a couple of people? Have a dance?" He suggested. "The punch is over there and food is over there. Gotta go."

Ethan swooped away with those last words leaving the six in silence.

"God, I hate him already." Rave said and Edd and Kevin couldn't help laughing.

Edd spent most of the night talking with his friends or dancing with Kevin. The night ended up not being half so bad. Well except for about every house guest coming and wanting to ask Kevin questions, the most annoying of which was "Kevin, why is your girlfriend wearing a suit?"

They had annoying accent's and pronounced the word like "syoot". Edd was able to handle it though because Kevin was quick to correct them on his gender. He was almost proud that Edd was a boy and it was rather refreshing.

However, when the conversation got too thick, Edd would spend his time with Eddy and they would talk about various things. Eddy had taken to making up stories about random guests that he saw and Edd had to admit that they were very amusing.

"Hey Double d, I'm gonna go get some punch, wanna come?"

Edd easily deciphered Eddy code and translated the remark to "Edd I'm too scared to go get punch on my own come with me pleeeaassse?"

Perhaps not so many e's and a's but you got the point.

"Sure, Eddy." Edd said and he trailed behind as they reached the punch bowel.

"This night wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be." Eddy said.

Edd laughed a bit, "If you thought it'd be so horrible, why did you choose to come in the first place."

"Well the reason I thought it'd suck was the same reason I had to come. I thought that Ethan guy would be bothering you a bunch. Seems like his not."

"No he's-" Edd began but he stopped when he noticed Ethan was standing right next to them.

"Not a lot, Eddy." He said, "But I will just for this once."

Eddy jumped back suddenly and hid behind Edd as he hadn't been expecting the voice.

"What do you want?" Edd asked.

"I'm just here to tell you that everyone is gathering on the dancefloor in order to watch a video I have prepared."

""What kind of video?" Edd asked.

Ethan leaned in close and Eddy frowned deeply at him. "Edd," He said, "What I am about to show you is for your own good. Trust me."

Edd backed away quickly and Eddy stepped forward a bit and rested his hand on Edd's shoulder in order to secure him.

"Ethan I do not think whatever it is will be good at all! What are you planning to do?" Edd said desperately.

Ethan smirked widely, "You'll see." He said. "Just go stand next to Kevin with the rest of them for me will you? You'll keep everyone waiting if you don't."

Eddy huffed, "Come on Double d, let's leave this guy," and lead Edd back into the crowd of people that had all gathered on the dance floor. A sheet of fabric had rolled down from the roof and an overhead projector was currently shining an empty blue screen onto it.

Edd and Eddy found Kevin and Edd weaved his way next to his boyfriend. Kevin asked, "What is this?"

Edd's hand grabbed Kevin's as he sighed, "I don't know."

"It's nothin good." Eddy added irritably, and for once Kevin and he agreed on something.

Ethan stepped out in front of everyone, microphone in hand. "First of all I'd just like to thank everyone," he said. "Everybody that decided to attend today has done me and my family a great favor."

Ethan's voice boomed out across the crowd and he paused. People began to gossip during the short break, mostly good stuff however.

"What a handsome young man he's become."

"He'd make his father proud."

Ethan continued, "I trust you've all been enjoying yourselves?"

"Ethan seems a lot more confident now that his speaking in front of a whole bunch of people." Nat whispered to Rave, "Isn't that like, backwards?"

"I don't know." Rave hissed, "Maybe he's an exhibitionist or some shit. What if he gets off with a bunch of people watching him."

Rave suddenly chuckled and then corrected, "On. I'm sure he get's off on his own."

"But before the night is over, I want to show you something." Ethan said and a frightening smirk played across his lips. "I think everyone will find it very interesting."  
He stepped aside so that he was no longer obscuring the screen and then the blue changed to a picture of a classroom. A classroom in the Academy.

Ethan said, "Here is a math classroom in The Academy of Alter waters, the school which I attend. Interestingly enough, every classroom has surveillance camera's as well as audio wires. This level of security was a secret kept from most in lieu of practically spying on the students." He laughed, "Of course, the Thames found out about this information and decided to share it with all of you, however that is not what I am showing you today."

He turned the volume up and the dull roar of classroom conversation could be heard filtering through some speakers placed at either side of the room. "This was footage taken one year ago."

"No." Kevin whispered as his hand tightened around Edd's. Edd began to worry.

Edd's voice chuckled. _Well this seems like it's going to end badly._

"Just watch as I reveal." Ethan's eyes connected with Kevin's as his face contorted into a terrible expression of sadistic joy. "The true nature of our precious prince."

Suddenly all eyes in the room were on Kevin an Edd and Kevin had definitely began to become angry. He pit his lip and drew blood as he tried to calm himself down and not throw himself into a fit of rage. He knew what was coming, but Edd didn't.

_Yes! I can feel your heart thumping! This is incredible._

Edd's eyes were glued to the screen as an image he never thought he'd see flashed across it.

Nat suddenly dropped to his knee's and Rave turned to look at him as he began too to panick. "Nat what the fuck!? Get up!" When Nat didn't, rave turned his head and his eyes widened. "Fucking hell." He breathed.

Kevin didn't need to watch to know what was going on, he remembered it clear as day, he was reliving it at that very moment.

_Kevin dragged Nat by a metal chain attached to his collar hard and fast toward the classroom. His boyfriend stumbled along unwillingly, coughing and gagging as the collar pulled against his neck._

"Kev stop this fucking hurts!" He said as he tried to cover his genitals.

"I don't care if it hurts." Kevin said, low in his throat and for the first time in ages, Nat was scared of what Kevin might do to him.

They were headed towards a classroom. "No! Kev what are you doing!?" Nat asked.

"I'm taking you to class."

The door burst open and everyone gasped in shock as Kevin kicked Nat into the room, naked and bruised and trembling from the cold. All eyes were on them and Kevin fucking loved it.

"Teacher not here yet?" He asked rhetorically and was only more pleased when nobody answered, "Good."

He gripped Nat's collar again and pulled the boy up to his feet before pushing him forward again and leaning him over a desk.

"Kevin... what are you -"

"Shut up!" Kevin snapped as his eyes darted furiously over to the person who had spoken, they quickly slinked into the background.

Kevin undid his zipper and the sound made everyone in the room gasp even more. Some wanted to step forward but had no idea what to do, something like this had never happened to them before. Others just wanted to disappear, others enjoyed the sight in front of them.

Nat cried, "Kevin no! Not in front of all these people!"

Kevin grabbed Nat by his hair and pulled him back violently. "Shut the fuck up! Remember who I am!"

The room was silent. "I am prince-fucking-Kevin and I'm about to teach you what happens to people who can't give me what I want."

"Kevin no! Come on man! I don't have to do whatever you tell me to godamnit!"

"Kevin!"

Edd watched on mortified as he saw Kevin rape Nat in a classroom full of people. He felt sick, disgusted. He held his fingers in front of his mouth as if he might literally vomit but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen. How could Kevin do such a thing? How was that even possible? Kevin would never commit rape would he? That was just not possible.

No.

_Yeeeessssss._

Nat quickly got up and held Rave in place as he was suddenly adamant on going and beating the fuck out of Kevin.

"Don't." Nat pleaded, "It's in the past."

"IN THE PAST?" Rave shrieked loud enough for everyone, absolutely _everyone _to hear him. "He fucking raped you Nat! It can never be something that is 'just in the past'!"

Everyone else in the room was in a similar state of panic.

Kevin shuddered in the memory and then he heard Rave shouting and thought he might actually kill himself.

_Kevin you fucking idiot. _He told himself. _This is all you've ver been all along. You're a hypocrite, you did exactly what those other men did to you. You're a rapist._

No! Kevin couldn't be like that. Not Edd's sweet caring Kevin, he'd never do something so absolutely discpicable.

_But you are seeing it with your own eyes. The evidence is right there._

No, it isn't! Kevin isn't like that! He couldn't be! Edd's mind screamed, but then suddenly and all at once, he remembered.

"_I just wanted to know that there's no need for you to play faggot honeymoon with our prince because he only wants you for sex. He's going to use you until he finds something better, something with tits and a vag and then he's going to toss you aside."_

When Edd thought about it all he ever used Edd for was sex! Ethan had been right! All they had been doing ever since they first started dating was sex, sex and more sex! That's all Kevin wanted! It had to be! The evidence was right in front of him.

_"I mean, I wouldn't be against only having sex with someone and not having an emotional connection with them. I've done it before and that's probably where Ethan has gotten this idea from, but not with you. If that's what I wanted I would have let you know from the beginning" Maybe a little lie wouldn't hurt. "But I told you we were dating, I'd never do that unless I wanted there to be something more."_

"I've done it before."

Nat.

Kevin was lying! That's why he brought it up, so that it didn't play on his conscious. He just wanted something to fuck and toss aside, just like he had done to poor Nat!

_Yes! _The voice cackled, _I can feel it coming loose. tHe WiNdOw'S cOmMiNg OpEn!_

Edd couldn't believe he had been so stupid. Kevin had been playing him all along and he had fallen for it. He was so stupid.

_StUpId StUpId StUpId! hAhAhAhAhA!_

Edd remembered one last thing.

"_What I am about to show you is for your own good. Trust me."_

Ethan had been on Edd's side all along. Perhaps he didn't present himself in the kindest of manners, but he had been trying to protect Edd from Kevin! He was sure! That was why he had been so harsh with his words the first time they had met, he was trying to scare Edd away. And he had told the entire school in the hopes that it would deter him further. So he had to go to extremes like this to get Edd to see. He was so FUCKING STUPID.

_Yes! Soon soon soon soon soon soon SoOn sOoN SoOn SOON SOON SOON!_

Edd turned his head and saw Kevin's face then, finally, he snapped.

_Free at last! I'll be seeing you Edd. Or should I say, "being you."_

The voice cackled one last time before it faded into the foggyness that had become Edd's mind and something else clicked there.

He looked to his right, a new look of determination on his face. In a voice far deeper than what Edd normally used, he said, "Kevin."

* * *

Okay hi. So yeah, I ended this chapter on a cliffhanger because I'm mean life that.  
Dear Abbey Maidaleno who was commenting on the copious amounts of Kevedd sex without any fluff. _Everything in AW happens for a reason. _*ahem*  
Now, for those of you who are a bit worried as to where I will take the story from here, don't worry. I will quote a florence and the machine song in order to explain this, "It's always darkest before the dawn." Things are about to go to shit. Lot's of mental breakdowns, lots of symbolic psychology stuff just angsty angsty angst angst. Angst party up in here yo. But it will get better, and I am fairly certain that the ending will keep everyone very satisfied.  
Also with the issue of rape, I DO NOT plan to glorify, justify anythingfy or brush off the issue as if it is nothing. Rape is a serious issue and there is no way I will let Kevin go unpunished for the stupid mistake he made, at the same time though, he will be forgiven eventually so if your personal philosophy is "Rapist should never be forgiven" then you might not like the way the next chapters will play out. (But just so you know I was molested at age eleven so I am in no way unfamiliar with the pain of it. I hope I will deliver satisfactorily)

Next time: Edd gets angry at Kevin. Rave get's angry at Kevin. Kevin get's angry at Kevin and shit hits the fan.


	37. Chapter 37

**The Prestigious and Highly Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 37**

Kevin had no idea what was going on as Edd's hand closed around the front of his shirt and his narrowed eyes stared into Kevin's with more malice than Kevin had ever seen in his life. It was frightening to see just how upset Edd was. Anger seemed to roll off of him in waves and it was almost as if he had developed a black aura that lurked around him.

"You abhorrent nefarious and flagitious monster! How dare you abuse your duty as a man and as a partner to keep Nathan safe."

The voice that he heard Edd speak with was unfamiliar to Kevin and made him feel quite confused. Edd was so angry, what could he do? But before he could think anymore he felt himself being pushed backwards. No way. His eyes traveled down as he watched his shoes slide across the floor and they traveled back up to see Edd's concentrated expression as he pressed forward.

"Did it make you feel powerful, prince? What a puissant man you are, were you efficacious in your efforts to oppress Nathan? Did it make you feel good about your pathetic excuse of an existence?" Edd spat as he continued forward with Kevin until finally - slam! Kevin coughed a bit as his back collided with a wall and he was winded.

Behind them Nat was beginning to worry, "What th hell is going on with Edd?" He said as he tried to take a steop forward but this time Rave grabbed him and stopped him.

"I think it's only fare that Edd give that creep what he deserves." Rave said his voice low, "If I can't do it, I can't think of a more perfect person who can."

"Edd!" Kevin yelled desperately. "That was in the past! I made a stupid, unforgivable mistake but now isn't the time to be talking about it. Just calm the fuck down."

"Hold your tongue!" Edd bellowed as he shoved Kevin into the wall again with such force that Kevin began to fear that Edd might actually harm him. It was like, all of a sudden Edd had this super-human strength.

"I am not interested in your purulent excuses nor your perceptions on the "right time" to do something. My credence to your innocence has been torn asunder, and I feel nothing but bubbling disgust in the pit of my bowels toward you and your deficient sense of human morality."

Kevin tried to push back against Edd but he was trapped. He couldn't do anything and it made him panic. He had no power, how could he stop this. He needed to get free, he needed to regain control, fuck.

"Don't try and escape, you're too weak to do so now." Edd said as he leaned in closer. "Not only did you mistreat Nathan." He said, "But myself as well."

Kevin snarled suddenly, anger filling him. "What the fuck are you talking about!? I did nothing but treat you like a fucking princess!"

"Spare me your puns you insolent wretch!" Edd screamed back, but Edd's anger had far more impact than Kevin's did and left the other boy in a state of confounded silence. "You were only interested in me because I was submissive. My personality gelled with your autocratic masculinity-complex, you wanted somebody who would ask no questions and submit to you and your frivolous desires."

"What are you talking about!?" Kevin screamed, hurt and upset and offended and angry. "I already explained to you that I've always wanted more than just sex." Kevin paused for a bit. "Maybe I wasn't very good at showing that... Maybe I just got a little excited that you'd be willing to have sex with me and I got a little carried away. But Edd I fucking love you! I'm _in _love with you, why can't you see that!?"

"I have been provided with no evidence!" Edd spat ad that's what really did it for Kevin.

What was sharing sharing Kevin's mother with Edd then? Kevin couldn't think of any better way for him to prove to Edd that he did love him. He was crushed, depressed beyond what he could possibly consider and what made it worse was that he didn't really blame Edd for it. He understood completely why he'd be so angry and so for once, Kevin submitted.

He allowed Edd to have whatever control over him he wanted. Kevin wanted to punish himself. He _needed _to punish himself. If he were alone he might even consider self harm in the form of cutting, but dear god did he need it. He felt so horrible, felt so angry that he had fucked up what he had with Edd so bad and so miserable that Edd couldn't see just how much Kevin liked him. For the first time in his life, Kevin felt heartbreak.

"Do what you need to to feel better Edd, I deserve it," Kevin choked out. "But Edd, I'm really sorry about what I did to Nat and what I did to our relationship." Kevin chuckled bitterly, "Funny how I couldn't really say this before and now it's all fine and dandy, lifes so fucked up. I love you man, even if you can't see the evidence I wanted you to know that."

Edd made a strange mewling noise at Kevin's words and then quickly turned and stormed out of the room. Eddy who had been watching the scene play out, got to his feet and quickly trotted out after him. The whole room fell silent as all eyes rested on Kevin. Nobody knew what to do.

Silence.

Tick.

Tock.

Kevin hated having all the people in the room staring at him, it made him feel like he wanted to vomit. And what was worse was the undeniable desire to dominate rising within him. He tried to squash it down, he had come so far, he was better than using sexual dominance as a mechanism for making himself feel better, but fuck he wanted it. He was so used to using it as a crutch it was hard to think of anything else he could do.

He needed to get out of that house and find somewhere he could be alone and away from people before he might revert to his old habits. There was no way he would let himself be like that again, not after the reaction Edd had just had. He needed to be a stronger person.

He left quickly, exiting a different door than Edd had used and leaving the awkward atmosphere behind him. The cool night air was refreshing as it filled his lungs and he cleared his mind as he continued out, his arms and nose being nipped at by the cold.

Back inside, Nat turned to look at Rave and said, "I need to go after him."

"What are you talking about? You need to cme home with me. And by home I mean my room in the Academy but same shit."

"No Rave, only I can talk to him now, and god knows he fucking needs it."

Rave became very annoyed very quickly. "Why would you want to help him though! Just leave him along, he's an arrogant cunt and he needs to learn he can't get away with fucking shit like that."

Nat sighed a bit, "Rave, people can change." He said simply and pityingly. Sparing a contempted glance at Ethan, who was looking neutral faced, he left.

With a third person's departure the room suddenly became bustling with people making apologies about how they had to go and everyone soon started piling out of the room, leaving Rave in their wake.

Nazz approached him and put an arm on his shoulder. "Come on, let's go back. You can stay in my room and drink chocolate while watching Annie."

Rave grunted and said, "That actually sounds fucking great, but just let me have a word with Ethan first."

Nazz looked on nervously as Rave approached the person who had caused all this commotion. Rave might be really angry at Kevin but if there was one person he was angry at more, it was Ethan and it seemed nobody had given him a piece of their mind yet.

"What the fuck is your problem?!" Rave snapped as he approached him, his face contorted into a grimace.

"I did what was necessary." Ethan said, his voice low.

"That was NOT necessary." Rave spat, "You just fucked a lot of people over! And Nat trusted you for some fucking reason, how could you betray him like that!?"

"I was doing Nathan a favor!" Ethan spat back, "He was becoming friends with Kevin again, I couldn't sit around and let that happen."

"That wasn't a favor by any fucking retarded logic! You brought all that shit up for him again! How do you think that makes him feel, having probably the most humiliating moment of his life broadcasted for a second time and not to just him but _another _room of fucking people!"

"I had to do it that way! He wouldn't have listened to me otherwise. Showing it to a bunch of people will make Nat too embarrassed to show his face near Kevin again."

Rave shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose as he groaned, "Do you even know Nat? He's loyal to a fucking fault and now he's gone to have a bonding session with that asshole, presumably over tea and scones. The only thing you've achieved is making him hate you and ruining Kevin and Edd's relationship. Good. Fucking. Job."

Ethan opened his mouth as if he were about to say something and then closed it before he paused in thought. "Just get out of here. I don't want to have to call the guards."

Rave made a furiated growling sound but listened as he quickly turned on his heel and skulked out of the room, picking Nazz up along the way.

"How did it go?" She asked tenderly.

"Fucking shit, like everything else today. Today is just a fucking clusterfuck of bullshit. How the cunt-shitting hell am I supposed to feel good now."

"Um, Annie and hot chocolate?"

"Yeah, well it's worth a try anyway. Fuck."

Rave and Nazz left the house too leaving it empty of everyone but the people who lived in it.

Ethan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Rave was right, he hadn't managed to achieve anything constructive out of that. Fuck. Well, at least now he wouldn't have an angry father to deal with on top of things.

The older man appeared from behind him. "You did a good job, son."

"Yeah, then why do I feel like shit?"

Mr Thames opened his mouth but Ethan didn't give him time to answer, "I'm going to bed."

* * *

Eddy followed after Edd as fast he could as he moved quickly into the forest surrounding Ethan's estate. What was it with rich people's houses and being surrounded by forest anyway?

Eddy was thinking about what he had just witnessed. That was not Edd, not the Edd he was used to anyway, what had happened? He was so much more... scary. Cold and assertive, Eddy didn't know how to react or that it was even possible for Edd to be like that.

"Hey, slow down Double d!" Eddy called as he plodded after Edd in a hurry.

Edd replied in a snarl, "Ratify my requisition and cease the use of that vexatious sobriquet."

"Um, I dunno what you just said but I'm gonna assume it had something to do with you being angry? Why don't you just go knock him out or something? You seem to suddenly be strong enough."

Edd stopped suddenly and turned to Eddy with gritted teeth which startled the other boy. "Your simplistic ideas of how I might deal with this quandary are very "cute" Eddy. As sure as they are logical to you, however, they are equally as stupid and painfully heterosexual to me. Men have this barbaric attitude toward problem solving that leads them toward violence in any situation. I lost my rationale, I lost my integrity and squandered my esteem by acting in the way that I did."

His eyes traced over Eddy's body for a split second, analyzing the way he held himself and recognizing the slouched back and arms crossed in front of him as Eddy feeling uncomfortable. "I removed myself from the situation because I have never been quite so tumultuous nor have I ever acted on emotions with such disregard for sense. I did not wish to make a fool of myself and I do not wish to do so here either."

Eddy seemed to be still a little confused as to what Edd was saying so he finished with, "I am not quite myself, or perhaps it is more accurate to say that I am more myself than I ever have been. In either case, I am exceedingly, exceptionally, excessively and extraordinarily infuriated. I'd wish you'd stay back for I fear myself acting out of callous, harsh judgement. Allow me time to cool off. I shall be back."

Edd turned away after that and continued on his way to, well Eddy wasn't quite sure where because after that he listened to Edd and stayed away. Cicadas chirped and grew louder.

* * *

Nat followed after Kevin, but didn't say anything. He knew it'd probably be best to see what Kevin had in mind before he jumped to console him. Kevin would undoubtedly be angry after an incident like that and Nat didn't want to interfere in his natural process of calming down.

But Kevin didn't break anything like Nat had been expecting. He didn't try to hit anyone or take advantage of an unsuspecting victim, he just sat down in the middle of the woods slowly, very slowly and then started crying.

Racking sobs, choked and drowned. Kevin's voice sounded like he was being swallowed by his cry.

Nat had never _ever _seen Kevin cry before. It was the strangest most uncomfortable thing Nat had ever had to endure. But also, the most heartbreaking. It seemed so backwards but Kevin had finally reached a breaking point. A point where no amount of alternate, quick emotional fixes would do it for him. He could no longer rely on anger and he couldn't stuff his emotions deep inside him because he was just that crushed.

"Hey mum," Nat heard Kevin say. "I know you aren't next to me right now but I couldn't hold it in before I got there."

Kevin talked... to his dead mother?

"I think I really fucked up big time. I made Edd hate me and Nat probably re-hate me and I feel so fucking awful. But I can't fuck up again and do something stupid."

No way, Nat didn't hate Kevin at all, he had already forgiven him for that a long time ago.

"I was just a stupid kid that thought the world had to do what he said. And I was just copying what I had already seen." Kevin sniffed and coughed a but as tears got caught in his throat. "I didn't fucking know the difference. How was I suppose to know? I had had it done to me and only saw it as fair to do it back to others. I didn't understand, I was just lonely and fucked up and I missed you so much."

"I don't think that really justifies it. What I did was so fucking horrible. I think I'm probably the worst scum on the face of the earth but I wish they'd at least try to understand, no, I wish they'd give me a chance to win them back. I wanna prove that I'm not that anymore and that I'm a strong person."

"I want to be a strong person. I want to be strong like Nat and Edd, or like Jim or Plank or Nazz or basically any of my friends. They are all so good at adapting, they can live in a world out of their control, I wish I could be like that."

Nat started taking a couple of steps closer.

"I'm getting there. But I think I have a long way to go." Kevin paused. "Mum, at least you still love me. Too bad you're dead."

That was the last straw, Nat quickly made himself present as he dropped to his knees and scared the shit out of a teary Kevin.

"Don't run away." He said sternly before Kevin could even process that his body was about to. It lifted, but the words reached his ears and he stopped halfway and slowly sat back down.

"This is probably fucked up and weird coming from me, Kevin. But I really do forgive you."

Kevin looked at Nat intentionally but the other boy kept his eyes straight ahead. "I think it's hard not to resent you for what you did." He said after a long pause. "And seeing that again, really brought up some horrible memories."

"I don't think that it's really ok to just let you off, I dunno. It feels like it's too heavy a thing to just let go. I somehow managed to get by okay, but I'm not really the issue, rape can really fuck people over. I could have been scared and emotionally damaged and it just does a lot of things to you. Actually, I think you probably did do a lot of damage."

Kevin felt like his throat was swimming around in his stomach.

"But I'm ok. I think it's probably something we should consider, how bad it could have gotten, I mean. And for both of us to be okay with it, I think I probably need counseling of some kind. I want to sink in how just, really bad a thing rape is."

Kevin was suddenly filled with anger. "Do you think I don't know how fucking bad rape is!?" Kevin spat. "You keep going on about how much it can fuck up and emotionally damage someone well guess the fuck what, you are looking at just that! I was so fucked up by it that I ended up doing it myself, it hurt me so much that I can hardly control my anger before it spirals out of control and I hurt someone. But do you think I WANT to be like this? Do you think I LIKE hurting you and I enjoyed doing what I did? I regret the living shit out of it, but I did it because I am everything you managed to avoid!"

His breathing became heavy and he held his fingers to his lips as he realised what he had just said. Damn it! How could he turn it around on Nat like that? Nat was the victim here and Kevin had just made another stupid and fucked up mistake.

"I've always felt a good majority of your sentence was the guilt you felt about it." Nat said, "And I agree with you. I was one of the few who knew about things with what was going on and again, I really don't think all that justifies it. I don't think anything _ever_ justifies it. But I don't think it should be ignored either. You were hurting so much, and for that I'm really sorry. And I want us to get out of this together. I want to turn this into something positive, a lesson that we can both learn and become better people because of."

"Not everybody is this lucky." Nat continued, "You were raped by people who you had to trust and who were much older than you. It had been happening from a young age and it didn't stop just because you became aware of how bad it was. You can't go an reconcile with your attacker and if you had done what you did to anyone else, they wouldn't either. Our case is so strange, I don't even know how it managed to end up this way. But it did, and to not take advantage of it would be an insult to everyone who has ever had to deal with this."

"Nat, I agree." Kevin said, "All the pain and suffering I felt and eventually inflicted on you, I don't want anyone else to feel it. But I can't help it. So many people are hurt by it, it's really fucking major. But I want to turn this experience into something positive, as you say and break the cycle. If you are rapped you often become a rapist, I am an example of that, but it doesn't have to be that way. You can turn that experience into something you can teach. And if I ever meet someone going through the same thing, I'll be able to talk them through it."

"Kev, I think you're finally thinking like a prince." Nat said with a smile.

"Maybe... but it feels strange. I feel like, like we can't just have a conversation and drop it like it never happened. But what the fuck's talking about it all day gonna do us?"

"I think talking about it is the first step of many. But everything starts with a first step."

"Since when are you all deep?" Kevin asked, taking a stab at joking again.

"Since I started dating Rave. That guy is practically a black hole, his deepness is seriously immense, even if it doesn't show on the outside; it rubbed off on me."

"Sure dude, if that's your excuse."

"It is and I'm sticking to it." Nat laughed.

Kevin tried to smile back, but he couldn't. He shouldn't.

There was nothing to smile about.

"Let's just get back to school."

* * *

When Eddy was sufficiently in his wake, Edd asked, "Why can I still hear you?"

_Because we're still mixing together. I'm taking on more of your traits and you're taking on more of mine, eventually we will be as one. You'll be whole again._

"Somehow, I do not believe that."

_Believe what you want Edd. But it is true, I am a part of you._

"You are not. You are everything I abhor and do not want to be, you can not possibly be a part of me."

_Oh contree, me being "everything you abhor and do not want to be" is exactly what makes me a part of you!_

Our fears are AlWaYs part of us.

_And soon you'll see that I've always been here and always will. You'll just take the backseat for a while. You need the chance to recuperate._

"What does that mean!?" Edd hissed.

_It means what you've always known, since the first night I was able to escape the confines of that muggy brain of yours. Remember the tireless nights of research? But you refused to acknowledge it and take action._

How WeAk!

I am your alternate Edd. Another personality. And it's about time I got out again.

"Isn't it Edd?"

_What's going on! I don't like this! I demand that you let me out right now!_

"Haha! No way. You're far too weak for that now. Just sit tight while I fix everything for you. Starting by teaching that Kevin guy a lesson he'll never forget."

* * *

Claiming my artistic license here and informing you that Edd does NOT have a realistic rendition of dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder). It is an artistic expression for the sake of metaphorical character development and it is not an accurate representation of what the experience of DID is like. Please keep that in mind. :D Also I'll be talking about "the state inbetween" in my character explination post for Edd.

Next time: Edd returns to the Academy, well, the new Edd anyway.


	38. Chapter 38

**The Prestigious and Highly Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 38**

Edd slumped back onto his bed and let out a sigh. "Why are these classes so fucking easy?" He asked.

Eddy eyed him nervously. "They aren't that easy Double d."

"They are easy, you're just stupid."

Eddy's eye twitched.

"Anyway, seeing as I haven't been able to find Kevin yet, I am going to sleep. Don't wake me up or be loud and annoying or anything." Edd said and then he pulled the covers over himself and shut his eyes.

Eddy couldn't stay in the room, he grabbed Ed and pulled the taller boy out of the room with him as they marched down the hall toward Nazz's room.

"What's wrong Eddy?" Ed asked as he trotted along and tried to catch up.

"What do you think's wrong, dude?" Eddy asked exasperatedly, "Double d is acting like a fucking asshole just because his stupid boyfriend broke up with him! I even told him to stay away from that piece-of-shit-prince but he wouldn't listen to me! And now he's acting exactly like the very guy he's angry at! He harnessed the power of the moon and turned into a fucking ass-wipe."

"Eddy I think he is very upset. His heart is broken and all the pieces are on the floor. He needs a cleaning lady to come sweep the pieces up." Ed tried to explain to Eddy as he trailed behind him.

"I aint no fucking cleaning lady Ed!" Eddy yelled but he felt bad on the inside that he couldn't do anything to make Edd feel better. He was angry and hurt that Edd would be so easy to brush off Eddy's concerns but in the end it just made him worry more, which was probably one of the most annoying things he had to endure.

"Look," Eddy continued. "I just wanna see Naz and chill for a bit. So do you wanna come or not?"

"Of course Eddy!" Ed replied excitedly, holding his hands together in front of himself.

"Then no more talking about Double dickhead. Got it?"

"Sure thing boss!"

* * *

"I've missed this." Jim said as he ran his hands through Planks hair.

Plank grunted, his face hot and red as he murmured softly, "Really?"

"Yeah, I love riding on top of you, it's so much fun."

Plank smirked a bit, "I'm sure it would be." He panted, "I just feel so hot though."

"Of course, it's summer. But who cares? Mush!" Jim said, tapping his heels against Plank's chest a bit as he pointed ahead with one hand and gripped onto Plank with the other.

"Domineering much?" Plank said between pants as he trudged forward through the shrubland that existed adjacent to the academy.

"Not at all Plank you silly!" Jim giggled, "You could throw me down anytime you wanted. You have the advantage of physical strength so anything I do is totally justified."

Plank scoffed but said nothing more as he soldiered on.

"Hey it's true. It's like a law of the universe or something."

"Whatever you say."

"I do say it! Now hurry up, I'm thirsty." Jim teased.

"Hey, you aren't the one running! I'm thirsty too!"

"If you hurry up," Jim said in a sing-song voice, "I'll give you a kiss after. Or maybe two, or more."

Plank was practically running.

* * *

"Hooray," Rave said, deadpan. "More people to join our pity party then?"

Eddy blinked at him, not expecting to see him in Nazz's room.

"Hey Eddy." Nazz said as she got up and kissed him hello, a peck on the lips. "What are you doing here?"

Eddy contemplated saying something about how he didn't like Rave's presence before he answered the quesition, but Rave beat him to it.

"Fuckin hell, look at that scowl. You should get a medal for that, you must have practiced in the mirror for hours." He chided. "Gay remember. I'm not fucking your girlfriend."

"Hey what the fuck man!" Eddy spat as he took a step forward, but Ed grabbed on to his arm and stopped him from moving forward.

Nazz frowned, "Rave was that really necessary?" She snapped.

He growled at her, "Don't you act all high and mighty about this. You're dating him, you know exactly what was going through his mind."

Nazz had no argument to that.

"Eddy is very sad because Double dee needs his heart swept! Leave him alone!" Ed said desperately.

"Big fucking whoop." Rave said irritably, "My boyfriend is hanging out with Kevin. The guy who raped him. Just imagine if he actually dumps me for that guy, how fucked would that be?"

Everyone stood in an awkward silence after that and watched as Rave frowned at them.

"Wow. This is, awkward." Nazz said with a half-assed laugh.

"Good." Rave replied, "Great. Let's all watch this movie together and be awkward and sad that our friends and boyfriends are fucking stupid and act like we aren't."

Rave unpaused the movie that he and Nazz had been watching previously and stuffed his face with a fistfull of popcorn.

At first, Eddy stood there, still a little pissed off but soon enough he suddenly gave up caring. "Whatever." He said as he groaned and shrugged, plonking himself down next to Rave. "What movie is this?"

"Annie." He replied, "Shh"

Ed scurried next to Eddy and Nazz sat on the other side of Rave and they watched the movie in silence. Eddy tried to forget all about everything that was worrying him: his relationship with both Nazz and Edd and Edd himself and focused on the movie instead. Fuck everything, he thought to himself. Fuck all the stupid shit that happened.

It was probably the best approach to take at the time. Probably.

* * *

Plank panted as Jim slid off his shoulders and ran quickly to get him some water. Doing so, he brought it back and handed it to Plank who downed it quickly.

"I really worked you hard didn't I?" He giggled, "You did a good job though! Got us here pretty fast."

"Yeah, I did." Plank agreed. "Now, where's my reward."

"Okay." Jim smiled, and then he leaned in and kissed him.

Plank looked up and their eyes locked as they kissed, which they both found to be awkward as teenagers in love always did. The kissing was sloppy, their bodies at awkward angles, everything was wrong. But that was what made everything right.

Spit trailed down Jim's chin as they broke apart and it was, again and unsurprisingly, awkward. He wiped it and blushed, not really realising it was making Plank want him more.

"Your lips are soft." Plank said as if it were a common observation and the moment suddenly became painful, as if both of them were waiting for something more to happen but none could actually act on it. Both were young, both were afraid.

However, the moment somehow managed to shift. And something magnetic tried to pull them together. Jim could feel it, Plank could feel it; rising in their stomachs like an omen both bad and good. They drew closer, closer and the tendrils of fear filled Jim up again.

The moment ended, for good that time, when Jim said suddenly, "I'm worried about Edd."

Plank's eyes widened, and his expression showed that he was disappointed, but it quickly passed. He withdrew and sat down in a more comfortable position, knowing he now wouldn't be moving anytime soon and turned his undivided attention to Jim.

"I know." He sighed, "I've been waiting for you to bring it up."

Jim bit his lip. Plank laughed.

"You have impeccable timing."

Jim tried to contain a huff of laughter, successfully, and said, "I guess it was kinda out of the blue."

"Define understatement."

Jim rolled his eyes with a grin and leaned over to punch Plank lightly in the arm, "Shut up, meanie."

Plank said nothing as he allowed the mood to settle and Jim was ready to talk about things seriously.

"He isn't acting like himself ever since that party." Jim said seriously as he lowered his gaze to the patch of grass in front of him. "Granted, I haven't seen him all that much, but that's probably something to worry about anyway."

Plank nodded.

"Something must have happened at that party." Jim continued, "I tried to ask Nat but he wouldn't really say much about it. He and Kevin have been hanging around each other a lot more lately too." A look of dread suddenly crossed Jim's face as he looked at Plank, "Don't tell me Kevin and Edd broke up!"

* * *

Edd, or perhaps it was someone else, lied in Edd's bed, staring at the sight of their hand closed as a fist and mulled things over in their brain. He needed to make Kevin pay, but how could he if the man had managed to avoid him for three whole days? Damn it.

Edd rolled over with a heavy output of breath. The sight of the door across from the room came into view. Would anybody walk through it, Edd wondered. Or would it remain shut forever? If he just stay there in his bed would nobody remember him? Would it be like the cold, harsh bitchumen on the rainy day? Where his head was torn apart? When his parents left him?

No, this wasn't like then. Edd had changed. The other Edd that was, the Edd that now endured what he had, living inside the brain of a person who is almost the complete opposite of you. This Edd had made friends, and even got himself a boyfriend. It was so strange.

"Why did you trust them?" Edd asked inside of his head.

_I do not wish to speak with someone as vile as you are! You're despicable!_

Edd sighed, "Come on, don't be like this. It's really kinda sad to hear you tell yourself that you're despicable. What kinda fucked up self-loathing is this?"

_I am not you!_

"Of course I am you! We already went through this you fucking idiot. I am simply one of your alternate personalities. You created me after the accident that makes us wear this fucking black beanie everywhere we go. I can't not be you."

_You are not the real me! You are a fake persona that I created, you are not me._

"Fuck you. You're still just as fucking insufferable as when I was the voice inside your head." Edd felt anger course through his veins, "Damn! The more I talk to you the more I feel us merging together and I don't like that idea!"

_Well perhaps you should stop trying to convince me that we are one person!_

Edd was shocked, he swallowed hard. "We're both running away from something aren't we?"

A knock interrupted Edd's introspections.

"Who is it?" He growled and when the door opened, he saw Jim peep his head through the door.

"Hi Edd." He said softly as he made his way inside. Plank followed him and said nothing as he usually did.

"What the fuck do you want?" Edd snapped and while Jim looked shocked at first, realisation suddenly flashed across his eyes.

"I should have guessed it. It's you isn't it?" Jim said a little defeatedly.

"You?" Edd repeated with malice. He didn't like being referred to as "you".

"Do you have a name you'd like me to use?"

"I am Edd."

"But you're not the Edd that I know."

"No..."

Jim sighed deeply and sat on the bed next to Edd, whose brows crossed in contempt. "If we call you Edd as well." Jim said, "Things are going to get very confusing. That'd make four to juggle around in our minds."

Edd growled, "Marion, then."

"Ok, Marion." Jim smiled, "Is Edd still in there?"

Marion sighed. "Yeah," he said grudgingly. "But he's not going to be coming out anytime soon."

"I thought as much." Jim smiled, "Then do you mind telling me what happened yourself?"

Marion thought about it. There was no reason he shouldn't lie to Jim, Edd's brother already knew what it was that was going on. Marion thought back and became angry. "His boyfriend is a fucking rapist is what happened!" He spat.

Jim gasped, "What?"

"We saw a video of Nathan and him," Marion continued. "Kevin dragged him into a classroom full of people and raped him!"

Marion was suddenly filled with such anger. Anger Edd's body seemed foreign to as it wasn't used to it. His fists clenched at his sides and his eyes narrowed at Jim as he saw the boy look morbid and horrible.

"What a disgusting thing to do." Jim muttered and stood himself. "And Edd became so distraught he let you out?"

"No! The bastard fought me for so fucking long! But I needed to get out and teach that fuck head a lesson, but he's done a disappearing act! Why is Edd so fucking weak! He is the weakest of all weak people. I fucking hate him!" Marion grabbed a pillow from his bead and beat it against the wall with angry yelps. He screamed profanities as the pillow slowly began to tear apart and spill it's stuffing across the floor.

Jim had taken a few steps back but stayed close to his brother as he looked at him pityingly. "Don't hate the part of you that want's to love people, Edd. It is beautiful, I've always admired that about you."

Marion's face contorted in anger. "IT IS WEAKNESS!" He spat grabbing Jim by the collar. He was about to lift him up when Plank made a quick interception and grabbed his arm.

"The Edd I knew wouldn't dare hurt his own brother." He said coldly, "Keep your hands to yourself or I will break them off."

Marion pulled away and made a frustrated grunt. "I am not Edd." He said, "He kees telling me that so I might as well go along with it right? If he is still too afraid to admit that I am a part of him, why should I admit that he is a part of me?"

He closed the distance to the door in record time. "Thank you, Jim." He said, "I feel a lot less sappy now. More myself. And I will find Kevin and make him pay."

He left the room slamming the door.

Jim trembled in the aftermath.

There was silence, filled occasionally by the sounds of footsteps, birds or voices. Plank wrapped his arms around Jim, pulling him close and lulling him with a mumbled "It's okay."

"He really is going through it again." Jim said into Planks stomach. "I don't know what to do for him."

"This has happened before?" Plank questioned, as his fingers tangled in Jim's hair. The feeling was reassuring to Jim and it helped him catch his breath.

"Yes it has." He replied.

"What did you do then?"

Jim thought back to the one time it had happened before and Marion had been set free. Edd was a lot younger and the violent and angry nature of his other persona had translated into a lot of tantrums then. He threw things like the pillow Jim had just witness him destroy now and swore and broke things. Jim had been terrified but eventually, he was able to calm him down.

"I just talked to him, and eventually I coaxed the normal Edd out again." Jim said, biting his lip nervously. "But I tried that just now and it made him worse."

Jim's self esteem took a bit of a nose dive.

Plank sighed and rubbed his boyfriends back, "You don't have to do everything on your own." he said.

"What do you mean?"

Plank looked at the door and remembered Edd slam it shut. "I mean it looks to me like he may need some professional help."

* * *

Marion skipped down the hallways, wicked glee on his face as he searched for Kevin. "Come out wherever you are you piece of shit!" He cackled.

_Stop it! _Edd wailed within his head, but Marion didn't listen.

"Stop what? Being me?" Marion teased, "But as I remember it We ArEn'T tHe SaMe PeRsOn!"

_I implore that you listen to me! I do not want my friends thinking I am a sociopath!_

"Aren't you a sociopath Edd?" Marion said suddenly, "You seem pretty fucking anti-social to me. All you want to do is study, study STUDY! But what about YoUr FRIENDS EDD!? WHAT ABOUT THEM?"

Jim had began following Edd when he heard him screaming. "I think you might be right about that." He called back to Plank as he tried to catch up. "He's really unstable."

* * *

Eddy yawned and stretched as the movie finally finished, "What a snooze fest." He said.

"Excuse, fucking, you!" Rave snapped, 'Annie is a-"

"Come out come ouuuuuttt! Kevin YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Edd's voice sung before breaking into a frightening, throaty shout.

Everyone in the room stared at the door.

"Was that Double d?" she asked in surprise.

Eddy got up immediately, "I have to find out!"

* * *

Marion danced forward at a faster pace. He would find Kevin. He had to! It was practically impossible that he wouldn't, just as long as he checked every room in the entire academy and eventually he'd find him. The boy was so giddy he didn't even notice the crowd of people that had began to follow behind him or Edd screaming inside of his head, _stop!_

"Jim!" Eddy called as he caught up with him. "What the fucks up with double d?"

Jim's stomach sunk, "Uh, I think he's upset." Jim replied lamely between breaths.

"He sounds like he's gone off the deep end."

Jim laughed bitterly, "Yeah, that would be a pretty apt description of it."

A little ways behind them, Rave complained, as he always did. "I wasn't built for running." He followed after Nazz who was in chase of Eddy, creating a chain of chasers and chasees.

Back at the front, Marion entered the cafeteria and caught sight of Kevin's jacket as he entered the private place he always ate at. Finally he had found him!

"I think you should talk to him dude. It makes sense that he would hate me and I don't think we spending all this time with me is exactly helping." Kevin said as he followed Nat into their normal eating area.

"I will once he calms down." Nat said, "This is my issue not his, he doesn't have the right to tell me how to act about it."

Kevin was about to reply when he felt a tapping on his shoulder, he turned around to be met with a fist, knocking him backwards.

Nat spun around to see who it was and saw Edd doing a happy dance.

"Yes! YES! How do you like that prince fucking Kevin!" He screamed gleefully.

Kevin sat up and rubbed his nose that had began bleeding and felt shock jolt through him at the sight of the excited Edd.

"What the fuck." Nat whispered under his breath. "What happened to him?"

Kevin pulled himself off the ground as Jim burst through the door. "Edd!"

Eddy followed soon after him "What the fuck Double d!?"

Nazz and Rave rocked up and Eddy poked his head through Eddy's armpit.

"Looks like the whole gang is back together again." Rave said sarcastically as Plank silently made his way to stand behind Jim. "Fucking joy."

* * *

So the A/N is going to be pretty long today, I have some things I want to talk about.  
First off, the story "All Aboard the Shota Express" will likely not be created. This is due to the fact that I am now drawing a webcomic that is taking up a lot of my time and as you can see, it has effected this story, I don't want you guys to have to wait a month for it to update as well. However, as a compromise, Jim and Plank WILL end up having sex in the main story of AW. My apologies to the people that didn't want that to happen but I am working with what I can so oh well.

Second is, the updates will be picking up the pace from now on! Well, I hope so. We all know I have a habit of promising certain things within certain times and then never fulfilling those promises so I am not going to make that mistake now. I will leave it at there being a relatively strong possibility that the update pace will pick up.

Lastly SORRY FOR BEING AWAY FOR SO LONG. I love you all, and hopefully you don't hate me LOL

Next time: Confrontation, more mental breakdowns ensue.


	39. Chapter 39

**The Prestigious and Highly Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 39**

Everyone stared at Edd in the middle of the room as he smiled like a child proud of the damage he had just caused. Marion _was_ a child proud of the damage he had just done. He relished at the sight of Kevin's blood as his eyes narrowed onto it.

"Hello Kevin!" He said excitedly, ignoring the congregation behind him. "I don't believe we've met."

A gapped-tooth smile, cast in a much more horrifying light then it normally was, graced Marion's lips. Kevin dragged himself to his feet, spat blood onto the floor and narrowed his eyes at the sight in front of him.

"The dilemma in our meeting is mainly due to the fact that EdD iS sTuBORN AS ALL FUkInG ShiT!" Edd took a few breathes to even out his tone, "But no matter. We have met now. And you have met my fist."

The pun seemed to please Marion as he said it.

"What are you talking about Edd?" Kevin asked in a low gurgle, a voice he had previously only used with Edd during sex. Another intimate titbit that had suddenly become dire.

Their audience was left in the quandary of deciding whether to act or simply let things unfold. Each one of them either too apathetic to make a move, wondering whether it was the right time, or simply assuming somebody else would. But nobody dared move. The rest of them might as well have been non existent.

They faded to black and a stage was set in which Edd and Kevin could finally do battle in piece.

"Haven't you heard the news, Kevin?" Marion cackled, "I am Marion, not Edd."

"This isn't funny!" Kevin yelled and his voice was filled with desperation and fear. What was happening to Edd? It didn't make any sense. His heart twisted within his chest.

"I agree Kevin!" Marion cackled and then clarified, "Edd is my alter ego. Another personality. He is not here now."

Kevin's foot shifted slightly and he let out a shaky breath. "Ok." He swallowed. "Marion, is it?"

"That is what I just said." Marion replied bitterly.

Tension rose. Jim sensed it and took a significant step closer to Edd to make sure he was within the needed range to take action and Plank crept up behind him as well. Kevin eyes the movement and realised that Jim was braver than him, Kevin could barely move his foot further than an inch.

"Why are you here, Marion?" Kevin asked.

"This is only the beginning of the end." Marion said. "Although I do think Edd is A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT, AT TIMES!" He cackled and forced his eyes shut in a warped expression of glee as he arched his back. "I love him, and I want him to be safe."

Wrinkles deepened Kevin's frown as he bared his teeth as behind him, Nat got closer to him as well. It was like watching two animals about to attack each other. Both of them was entirely focused on the other and it was only a matter of time before one of them attacked.

Edd might have developed this new persona, Nat thought. But even if he was a lot more confident, and really creepy, giving him a slight advantage, Kevin was just a lot stronger than he was. Kevin had a jocks build and Edd was lanky. Nat had no doubt who would win if Edd, or Marion, did decide to attack. He also suspected that that scared Kevin more than the actual attack would. Kevin wouldn't want to hurt Edd, ever.

Nat suspected right.

Kevin let out another breath. "Ok..."

"Oh yes!" Marion continued, "Anyway, I plan to make sure everyone who ever wronged him is dealt with, seeing as he doesn't have the balls to do it himself."

Marion took a step forward and Jim took action.

"Edd, stop it." He said sternly; Marion did.

Tension was especially high.

"I thought we already discussed that I am not Edd. He himself convinced me of that." Marion said irritably.

"I'm not talking to you." Jim replied and Marion's eyes widened in shock. "Edd! I know you're in there. You can't let him win, you have to come out!"

_I'm trying! _Edd cried, trapped inside his own mind.

"Shut up!" Marion hissed. "Edd can't come out unless he accepts that we are one and the same! In which case he will be handing himself over to me anyway. You cannot win!"

Plank had gripped Jim's shoulder tight, trying to keep him from going near Edd, but he pulled the hand off of him and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around his brother. "Edd you have to listen to me. Look, all your friends are here and we all love you and want you to be happy. You can beat this, just calm down."

Kevin's brained revved into gear and he made his way toward Edd as well, hugging him from the opposite side. "I still love you Edd." He said, "I still love you dork."

Edd was silent as he was caressed by the two closest to him.

Eddy said, "C'mon double d. We all miss the real you."

Rave added, "If this works, I am going to lose faith in the way reality unfolds."

As it turned out, it didn't work.

Edd pushed both away from him, clipping Jim in the head with an elbow as he screeched in rage.

"FUCK YoU FuCkInG PiEcEs OF SHIT!" He screamed. And burst forward, knocking the crowd away as he exited the room.

Jim groaned and held a hand to his head and both Kevin and Plank knelt down to see how he was doing. There was no blood.

Everyone entered the room and assembled into a huddle, nobody seeing the merit in chasing after Edd, or Marion.

"Is everyone okay?" Nazz asked, feeling a little overwhelmed by everything.

"I'm fine." Jim replied as Kevin and Plank raised him to his feet.

"Me too." Kevin added.

"Double dee isn't okay..." Ed commented sadly.

"Yeah!" Eddy agreed. "Why are we even standing around here anyway, it's all HIS fault Edd got like this anyway." He said resentfully before he turned to leave the room. "C'mon Ed. Let's go get double d back to normal."

"Hey wait-" Nazz started about to follow them, but she was too late.

"Let them go Nazz." Jim said smiling at her, "It's worth a try and they know how to look after themselves. Right now, I think we need to focus on getting Edd professional help."

"I agree." Nat said, stepping forward. "What was that?"

Jim sighed, "You're guess is as good as mine. I'm not a psychologist so I can't diagnose him. But the best I can do is suggest something like multiple personality disorder. As far as we know, it's been around since he was about five but it has never really been a problem until now."

"Alright, does anybody know where we can get him professional help?" Rave said, wanting to feel like he was part of the conversation.

"Yeah." Kevin said, "I know a lady who's perfect for the job."

Jim beamed, "Great, ring her up." He turned to look at the others, "Thanks for your concern guys." He said, "It's kinda weird thinking that before we were all in here eating out lunch and now it feels like some kind of war zone. But I'm sure Edd is going to be thrilled when he finds out how many of you actually came. Once he's back to normal anyway."

He paused. "But you don't need to help any further. Seeing as I am the only person who can really take responsibility for this, I am classifying it as a family issue, so please, just go back to your rooms and forget about this. I'll make sure Edd get's back to Normal."

"I'm staying." Kevin said. "He's still my boyfriend, even if he has turned fucking insane."

Jim nodded.

"JIm," Nat said as he patted him on the shoulder in passing, "You are a great brother. Make sure you get him back to normal."

"I will." Jim smiled back and Nat found his way to Rave and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"We need to talk about things." He said as they began to walk out the door and Nazz followed unsurely after saying her own goodbyes.

"Like to steal all my fucking happiness don't you?" Rave said with his usual overdose of sarcasm before all three disappeared.

As soon as they were semi-alone, Plank planted a big kiss on Jim's lips. "I'm proud of you." He said.

Jim giggled. "I try." He turned to Kevin, "Now then. How about that help?"

* * *

Relatively short update today. But I thought it'd be better to update with something short then not at all. Hope you still enjoyed it. And it looks like I am back to stay ;D

Next time: Pantene makes a visit to Alter Waters.


	40. Chapter 40

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 40**

"Kevin, you have never expressed an interest in having a session any earlier before. Has something happened?" Pantene asked over the phone.

Kevin sighed, "I'm not calling to ask you for a an earlier session." He said, twiddling his thumbs under the pressure of Jim's gaze. It was only curious, but it was horrible nonetheless. Kevin knew Jim knew what he had done and that was a little too much. Jim seemed not to care though, at least for then. Kevin suspected he was more focused on helping Edd at that point.

"What is it for then, Kevin?" She asked curiously and it made Kevin feel slightly more uncomfortable given the severity of the situation.

"I need to ask you to make a house call." He said his voice thick.

"Oh?"

Kevin arranged things over the phone with Pantene for a moment .before he closed the phone and looked at the curious faces of Jim and Plank.

"She said she'd be here as soon as she can." He explained.

Jim nodded, "Thank you Kevin." he said and then paused.

Kevin swallowed nervously as Jim's big eyes traced him over, the look of naivety they carried was completely gone, he looked serious and mature and it was frightening.

"You're trying to help, Kevin. That's good." Jim spoke slowly as if trying to pick each word very precisely. "I don't know what happened in your past and I'm not going to judge you for something I don't know about." Jim looked him up and down once more before he finished with, "I just hope that you are able to fix whatever it is you have done. Not for Edd,I can take care of him but for yourself and especially for Nat."

Kevin felt resentment bubble in his stomach. "Don't just assume that I haven't already!"

Jim sighed. He already knew that Kevin was trying to make things right but it obviously wasn't working as well as he had hoped and now Kevin was on edge about it. "This is a heavy thing, Kevin." He said, "People aren't going to let go so easily"

Kevin bit his tongue, having no argument against Jim's point. "But you're trying." The smaller boy continued, "That's something good."

Kevin said nothing as Jim turned away from him to look up at Plank. "For now, let's let the past stay there." He said some of the light returning to his voice. "We have to find Edd."

* * *

"Hurry up Ed geez!" Eddy ordered as he ran as fast as he could. He had no idea where Edd planned to go but he did know it wasn't going to be their room. The last thing he wanted was to be found, and yet Eddy didn't really care about that; he had to be.

"But Eddy, how can we find Double dee if he doesn't want us to find him!" Ed exclaimed urgently.

"We'll find him! He can't hide forever." Eddy screamed in frustration. He couldn't give up just like that because Edd was hiding. It was stupid. If Edd was spazzing out, Eddy had to do whatever he could to calm his fucking annoying ass down.

Eddy groaned angrily. Edd was just too damn good a person to deserve all the shit he got.

Eddy's phone run, evoking yet another groan from him but he answered anyway and lucky that was for him. 'Eddy you are looking for Edd now right?" Jim's voice immediately spilled from the speaker as Eddy pressed it to his ear.

"Yeah. Plan to join the recovery team?" Eddy asked, voiced filled with contempt.

"Eddy, we have things we have to do on our end." Jim said and then took a break from his serious voice to say "I feel like we are in a spy movie!" And scream excitedly.

Eddy rolled his eyes.

"We are getting help for Edd. Professional help. And we can't do that and look for him at the same time."

"Yeah fine then. Whatever." Eddy huffed.

"So," Jim sung cheerily, "I am assigning you to the job of finding him and either keeping him in one place or bringing him to his room and keeping him there."

"Alright. But you guys better not take too long to get to us when we find him."

"We'll be as quick as we can!" Jim responded. "Stay on the line so that way we continue communicating quickly if need be."

"Are you kidding, my arm will drop off!"

"Then put headphones in and put it in your pocket and pick up if you hear my voice." Jim said, "Durr" he added to the end.

Eddy tutted but listened and plugged headphones in. "There, done. Happy Jim?"

"Very." Jim said, "Now hurry and find him!" Jim's serious tone returned, "He is my brother and I am trusting you to keep him safe."

Eddy's voice softened as he responded. "Yeah, I know." The last thing he wanted was for something to happen to Edd but he also knew that it was a possibility in such an unstable state. He may end up hurting himself. And Eddy wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let that happen to Edd or Jim.

"I'll make sure he stays safe."

* * *

Jim sounded a little choked up when he replied. "Thank you, Eddy."

"Are you okay?" Plank asked as he watched Jim's bottom lip tremble.

Jim took a deep breath. In truth, he wasn't okay. In fact, he was very frightened. He wanted Edd back to normal, he hated seeing him like this just as anybody would. And it all happened so fast. Jim always tried to keep himself together though, and it had ended in some good things, he was able to set up a way to get Edd help early in the problems arising, but that didn't make things any less taxing on him. Plank was about the only person he'd feel comfortable with explaining his feelings to. He'd also consider Edd an option but obviously this time he was the problem.

Kevin looked at them curiously as they had huddled in close and Jim extended his arms around his boyfriend to make things look less suspicious."I'll tell you later." Jim said in a hushed tone as he pressed his face into Planks clothing. "I need to deal with this right now. Edd needs me to be strong." He continued, "And it has long since been the last time I let people walk all over me. Marion, is going to learn what happens when he comes between me and my brother."

Plank smirked wide as he squeezed Jim tight. "Is it bad to say that that turns me on?" He asked.

"Pfft!" Jim hit him. "Of course it is!"

Kevin raised his eyebrows at them, "What are you guys whispering about?"

"Nothing." Jim said quickly and changed the subject. "Now how long did you say she'd take?"

Kevin thought for a moment. "It isn't far, probably no longer than five minutes by private jet."

"By private jet!" Jim yelled in surprise. "Just how good is this psychologist."

Kevin chuckled a bit. "She works for my dad."

"Ooh." Jim laughed, "Well then, do you think we should go and wait for her on the landing strip?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Ok," Jim said nodding. "From now on it's business. We have Edd to think about." His brows furrowed in concentration. "Let's go."

* * *

Marion ran and panted, grasping his head in his hands. "Urg shut up!" He yelled.

_I shall not allow you to make a mockery of us any further! _Edd screamed.

"Just except that I. AM. STRONGER." Marion hissed back.

_My body is not a toy!_

"It's not your body!" Marion screamed. "It's just as much mine as it is yours."

_It is mine! Leave!_

Marion held his hands to his head and dropped to the floor with a thud. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs and he had to gasp to replace it. He felt like his mind was caving in and it took all of his willpower to hold the roof up and stop it from collapsing in on him.

He writhed on the floor and spluttered.

"Fuck off Eddward. You have already established that we are not the same, which means I can't let you win."

A squealing noise started soft and grew louder. Both of the Edd's stopped. Edd and Marion, separate and yet the same, stared into each other and the squealing grew louder. Both wanted to ask, "can you hear that?" but there was no need because somehow their thoughts had become one and resonated throughout a shared mind.

"It's getting louder," they both thought. And it did. It grew and grew and grew, the pitch shifted higher and higher and formed a tower of sound that reached into the heavens and disrupted the fluffy white clouds as they dissipated in puffs of smoke.

As the sound jumped down a couple of octaves, it was finally identifiable as a car horn. And then the screech of tires and the screams of bystanders kept at bay by a wall of mufflement.

And he started remembering and remembering and remembering and remembering.

...

_Gong._

Edd stood in an expanse of black and stared at someone that looked exactly as he did, yet different. His clothes were displaced a lot more, his hair was messy, his stance slouched. He looked exactly like Edd, but nothing like him at all. Edd was disgusted by the side of him that was sloppy and unkempt.

Marion stood in the same expanse and stared at a similar reflection of himself. His clothes and hair were impeccable. Impeccable they were, except for that stupid black hat he used to hide his scar. He was put together but unsociable and tight-assed. Marion was disgusted by the side of him that was obsessed with perfection he could never achieve.

Edd was disgusted by the side of him that was obsessed with perfection he could never achieve.

Marion was disgusted by the side of him that was sloppy and unkempt.

Edd was Marion and Marion was Edd and together, they encompassed an entire being, Eddward Marion.

"You still remember it right?" Marion asked as he looked at Edd.

"Of course I do, how could I forget such traumatic experiences." Edd quiped in response.

"I heard it's very common."

"I have not forgotten. My memory is in perfect working order."

"What has this got o do with your memory?"

"You were questioning it's capabilities." Edd replied the obvious answer in rising annoyance.

"I did not."

"You did!"

Silence bore over them. Darkness bore into them.

"You still remember it right?"

"I remember it was raining." Marion replied.

"Yes. And it was very, very cold." Edd agreed.

"It was the coldest I had ever felt. So, so cold." Marion shivered in memory of the event they were both reflecting on.

"I don't quite remember, why was I out in the rain?" Edd inquired as the thought dawned on him.

"I suppose for the same reason I was." Marion replied quite happy with the cleverness of his deduction.

"And what reason was that?"

"I don't remember." They said in unison and then it was cold again and Edd had passed out in his favorite garden, on the east side of the academy, in the fetal position, moaning softly to himself.

Whispering, "So, _so_ cold."

* * *

Private jets seemed to make a lot of noise, Jim discovered as he stood next to Kevin and Plank, watching the plane come in from a distance. The sky had become rather grey and small droplets of water splattered onto Jim's face every now and then. He hoped that they would be able to find Edd before it started raining too heavily, or at the very least that his brother had stayed inside.

The plane landed with a roar and Jim stood amazed.

Inside, a woman with rich brown hair readied herself to brave the cold. Wrapping a scarf around her neck and making sure her boots were tied, she made her way out, clunking down the stairs. She spotted Kevin first, in a group of three boys. Her eyes naturally picked him out from the crowd, it being the only familiar face. Next, she noticed Jim. He was significantly younger looking than Kevin was and she wondered briefly the relation between the two. She sure hoped he wasn't Kevin's boyfriend. Or maybe the other one was? He was tall with a burly build and a half-shaven head.

Pantene sighed, what was going on that she needed to get in a private jet to sort out?

"Pantene!" Kevin called as she approached closer to them and she smiled and waved back.

"It's amazing the kind of power I have working for your father." She said. "That was my first private jet ride, did you know?"

Kevin ignored her musings and said, "Pantene I need your help." In a desperate tone.

She stiffened and narrowed her eyes a slither more. "Well Kevin. How about you tell me what you need me to do? It would have to be important if it warrants me coming here." Pantene said as she began to walk toward the school, bringing the other boys along with her. "Tell me about it inside though."

The four made their way back into the building and Pantene pulled her scarf loose because of the new heat the room held. Giving all three boys the once-over one more time, she asked "Ok Kevin. What is it?"

Kevin gestured toward Jim and said, "He knows more about the situation than I do."

She frowned a bit more but quickly hid her expression as she turned to him and asked, "Well then -"

"My name is Jim and I am sorry if this comes across as rude but I feel the situation is possibly dire enough." Jim blurted out quickly, interrupting.

Pantene didn't waste time pretending to act taken off-guard. She continued, "Hurry then."

"My brother. I don't think he is in a stable mental state." Jim explained, "He's been having a breakdown today and I'm afraid he might become a danger to himself and others if he isn't helped."

Pantene nodded, making a mental note and asking, "What is the nature of these breakdowns?"

Jim paused a moment, feeling slightly uncomfortable all of a sudden. He knew that telling her would be the best thing to do and yet he still felt a little bit like he was betraying Edd. Jim swallowed and shook those thoughts from his head.

"He has an alternate personality. It became violent and attacked Kevin. He is currently hiding somewhere but our friends are looking for him." He felt very uncomfortable and insecure saying the last line.

"Have they any idea where to look?"

"I don't think so." Jim was quickly losing all of the confidence he had gained when he had assumed his role of the leader.

"That might make things a little more difficult..." She said more to herself than anyone else.

"Well I assumed Eddy and Ed would just find him." Jim said somehow managing to find and express confidence in that sentence. "I know they will, and when they do they'll tell me."

A pitying expression crossed Pantene's face suddenly, her actions still filtered through the assumption that Jim was younger and less intelligent than he was. "Sweetie." She said, "That's not going to be enough to-"

"Hey Jim!" Eddy's voice came screaming from JIm's phone, so loud even Pantene could hear it. "I found Double d. Hurry up and get here quick."

Jim looked up with a relieved expression on his face. Edd was okay, everything was going to be alright.

Pantene smirked, "I stand corrected."

* * *

Eddy and Ed raced over to Edd's body, curled up on the ground. The rain had began to fall at a spitting rate and it was becoming heavier by the minute.

"Shit Doubld d! What the fuck did you think you were doing?" Eddy hissed as he pulled his jacket off and threw it over the top of him. "Ed, help me lift him up will ya!"

"Sure thing boss." Ed said and happily contributed his strength to getting Edd off of the floor and into the academy where it was warm.

Edd didn't seem to like being picked up.

"NO!" He suddenly screamed and Eddy and Ed practically dropped him from the shock. "Don't go!"

...

_Edd watched as his parents walked away from him. He didn't want to be left alone. He couldn't handle everything by himself. What about Jim and school? If they went, who would cook them meals? Edd worried, he needed to follow them._

"I remember why now." Edd said.

"Why you were out on a rainy day?"

"Yes, it was because my parents were leaving. I couldn't have them leaving Jim and I alone."

Marion nodded, "I remember something similar, but mine went a little diferent...

"_Mum, Dad, don't go!" Edd complained._

His mother smiled and knelt down to his level. "We'll be back soon. Don't worry."

His father knelt down next to her. "Yeah mate. Just look after Jim for a while and we'll be right back."

Edd was filled with rage. "That's not good enough! I want you home! I want you to cook dinner! I want you to look after Jim!" He whined, "Don't go! Don't go! Don't go!"

Edd nodded, "That sounds vaguely familiar."

Marion nodded, "And then we both followed after them."

"And then we both followed after them."

_It was cold outside and it was raining so hard. Edd could feel the droplets pelting down on his skin and he couldn't see further than a few inches in front of him properly. But he did see vague outlines of his parents and he followed after that._

The raining just got harder and along with the white noise of rain pattering, came a squealing noise. Whining and hummer it grew louder.

But Edd ignored it, he needed to get to his parents so he pursued them further. The noise grew louder and more desperate sounding. As if the sound was stuck and wanted to be free.

A car horn blazed and the rain pounded harder against the side of Edd's face than it ever had. He could hear the sound of tires screeching and JIm's frightened scream behind a wall of mufflement, and then everything went black as he was hit by the car.

Bang.

Fizzle...

...

"Stop thrashing around!" Eddy yelled to no use as they tried to carry Edd through the rain whcih had already become a downpour.

"Eddy, I think he is having a bad dream!" Ed informed.

"Jesus Ed, just help me carry him and shut up."

"I was weak!" Edd screamed.

"Oh jeez not again."

...

"I was selfish, I only cared about myself and because of it, I put everyone through a lot of pain." Edd wailed.

"No one really likes you." Marion agreed. "No one really likes us. We are too much to handle"

"But I did everything I had to!"

"Everyone hates you."

...

"What did you have to do Edd?" Eddy, trying to discover if talking back to Edd would do any good.

Tears began to stream down Edd's face and he wailed in agony. The tears were hard to tell apart from the rain, but they were different. Warmer, more salty. They tasted like hardship.

"I did my homework! I was always there for Jim! I got into prestigious highschool and did well in my grades! Nobody is supposed to hate me! I did everything right! WhY dO tHeY sTiLl HATE ME!?"

"Double d! Double d! Calm down, nobody hates you!" Eddy hushed as he brought Edd along with him. "Edd, you are a great dude. Tons of people like you."

"Why then?" Edd asked. "Why do I have to have this happen to me? If this isn't some cruel form of punishment I do not know what it is!" Edd cried.

"Goddamnit Edd because you never do anything about it or ask for help? Not once did you think of talking to me about you and Kevin. Or anyone else for that matter. About anything. Of course we weren't going to know about this!" Eddy vented as he began to move his feet faster. "Just shut up so we can get you inside and we can sort this all out later."

Edd didn't say anything after that, but it was probably because he was asleep and nothing else.

"Yeah, he's just curled up in the garden." Eddy said, "Me and Ed are gonna see if we can get him inside so meet us at the east entrance."

"Got it." Jim said and then them phone went dead on the other end. "That settles it then. We have to go."

Pantene nodded, "Alright."

Jim began to lead the way to the east entrance and Pantene and Plank followed. Kevin stayed behind. Everyone was doing so well with the teamwork, but he had done nothing. There was no reason for him to go with them.

"Pantene," He called and she swiveled around to face him. "PLease make him better. I don't want a mentally unstable boyfriend."

After Pantene's eyes shimmered with realisation for a moment, she said, "Don't ask for what you can't deliver yourself."

Kevin was at a loss for words. He had meant it as a joke, obviously and Pantene had responded in a joking matter of her own, but the answer really hit Kevin where it mattered.

"Fine then. Help him, because I love him." Kevin said softly.

Pantene sighed and walked back up to Kevin looking him in the eyes. "If you love him, come with us and see him."

Kevin looked down. "No... he won't want me there, of all people."

Pantened smiled at him pityingly and it was the first time Kevin had ever really seen her put all of her features into an expression. "I think you are the first person he will want to see."

Kevin's heart beat in his chest and then he felt a little hand brush against his arm. He turned to see Jim looking at him with a similar expression.

Kevin, I do too." He said, "Edd loves you."

Pantene spared a glance at Jim to see that he was serious and turned back to Kevin. "I don't know the situation as well as I make out that I do," she said. "But he does. So listen to him, get your butt into gear and let's go."

Panetene turned away and Jim, Plank and her were moving away from him once more.

He clenched his fist and then laughed. "Alright. I'll go then."

Too tired to write A/N Zzz

Next time: Therapy.


	41. Chapter 41

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Chapter 41**

Nat walked side by side with Rave down one of the hallways. It was raining and most people seemed to be keeping to their rooms so they were basically alone. Nat could feel Rave's annoyance rolling off him in waves and didn't know whether he should say something first, or wait for Rave to snap on his own. Regardless, one thing was for sure; Rave would make it harder than it had to be.

"Rave..." Nat begun but stopped, suddenly losing the momentum he had built up to talk.

"Well, what do you have to say?" Rave snapped back.

Nat sighed, it wasn't like he was trying to annoy Rave, it was just kind of hard to not be near Kevin. Ironically, Kevin was the only person Nat hadn't felt entirely embarrassed around since everyone had found out. His presence was levelling and calm and it was what Nat needed. If he had stayed around Rave, who was always high-strung, he'd surely begin to stress about it a lot more.

"So you've probably noticed I've been hanging around Kev a lot." Nat started.

"You don't fucking say?" The other boy quipped at then they were silent.

"Look, don't take it the wrong way. We're mates and he understood what I had gone through -"

"Of course he fucking knew what you had gone through! He fucking did it!" Rave said, now fuming.

"Rave, you're taking this the complete wrong way."

Rave stopped and turned on his heels stepping toward Nat and poking his finger into the other's chest. "Am I!?" He bellowed, "Well explain to me why it is you'd rather spend time with your rapist than your boyfriend?"

"Rave it isn't-"

"Are you guys fucking?"

"Rave shut up!" Nat yelled and it shocked Rave so much he literally jumped. Nat didn't yell. Rave had never heard him yell, _ever_. It was frightening.

"What the fuck made you think that I wanted anyone other than you!?" He hissed angrily.

Rave blinked, he had no idea really. He had just been bitter about the fact that he hadn't had Nat all to himself during the period he was upset. Rave wanted to be able to look after him but instead Nat had gone off to Kevin. Of course he was upset! And he was just acting out because of it. But he couldn't explain all of that to Nat, he'd be too embarrassed and frustrated with himself.

"J-just tell me why you were with him already." Rave said as he pouted. He tried to seem pissed off but it was obvious to Nat that he wasn't.

Nat sighed, slumped against the wall and slid down it, patting a spot next to him for Rave to sit. Rave did.

"It's been hard," Nat started. "But I think it was probably for the best."

Rave wanted to say something snarky but managed to keep it inside as Nat continued.

"I've been friends with him for a while now, and well what he did to me was kind obviously, very traumatic."

It was so quiet when Nat took a paused, when Rave swallowed he thought he could hear it echoing down the hall.

"But what happened to him was worse, he didn't really know any better. He was young."

"Does that excuse him!?" Rave said, finding his flare again.

"That's a question I've been asking myself for a long time." Nat said and Rave felt very uncomfortable again when he heard the melancholy in his tone. "I don't think anyone really knows the answer... But when I think about what happened to him, what he did to me pales in comparison. I almost just feel... pity."

"Pity?" Rave questioned.

"Yeah." Nat's voice went soft before he finally told Rave Kevin's story. "When he was very young, I think about five or six, Kevin got a butler that was meant to help him with his daily routine. At first, Kev told me, he was really nice but then, the man began to molest him."

Rave's brows crossed and Nat found even breathing a harder state to achieve.

"He was too ashamed to tell anyone. I'm pretty sure that's normal right?" Rave nodded. "Anyway, so it continued for a long time. Then, when he was eight, the molestation turned into violent rape."

Rave gasped.

"Apparently the man would play a 'game' where he'd leave bruises in obvious places and then see how Kevin would be able to hide them from his parents. He told me had been kicked and whipped during the times that his former butler would rape him and sometimes there was an audience. The head of some other rich family, Kev wouldn't tell me who, would sometimes come along to watch."

"Fuckig bastard." Rave whispered.

"Then, his mother died. Right around the time he was ready to finally tell someone. He loved her, and she treated him well. He was going to tell her, but he bragged about it to the butler before he did it... the next day he found her dead."

How could so many things happen to one guy! Rave just couldn't comprehend it. He thought his life was hard, and while he still thought it was, Kevin's was on another level.

"To make things worse, his father wouldn't do anything about it when he was told. He acted as if nothing had happened and Kevin continued to get raped."

Nat paused and let it all sink in.

"I don't think it excuses him, but I do think it means a lot and it also means I can forgive him, which I have."

Rave nodded.

"But I know, no matter what, some people will never forgive him."

* * *

"What the fuck is he doing here? Fuck off!" Eddy hissed as he saw Kevin approach with Jim, Plank and what he assumed was the help they needed.

"Worry about him later!" Jim yelled. "Is Edd okay!?" The smaller boy dropped to his knees next to his older brother.

"He's fine, I think." Eddy said, he was a little taken aback by how forceful Jim had suddenly been and it ended up making him even angrier. But he didn't want to cause a scene or make it any harder for Edd to get better so he settled for sending an icy cold glower over to a Kevin that looked very guilty. As he should be too; Eddy hadn't really gotten around to considering it before when he had been hyped up by the desire to help Edd but now that he knew Edd was in capable hands, seeing the psychologist and knowing Jim was by his side, he had all the time in the world to think over all the reasons he hated Kevin.

"How long has he been like this?" Pantne's voice asked, pulling Eddy from his reverie.

"I dunno, but it couldn't have been too long, we went after it straight away." He grumbled in response. "Unlike some." He added under his breath, keep his death gaze consistent.

Kevin was starting to feel uncomfortable and a little angry. It wasn't that Kevin didn't understand why Eddy or anyone else would be angry at him. It had been the first time in a week or so that they had seen him since the incident at Ethan's party and a lot of Edd's friends obviously held resent and anger over that. But he was being pulled in two different directions. Eddy was telling him he should just back off (as Kevin thought he should in the first place) and Jim was telling him to be with Edd because he loved him.

"I can't go back in time and undo what I did." Kevin whispered under his breath and while that was true, he couldn't expect people to pretend it didn't happen either.

* * *

"Well Nat," Rave sighed annoyed. "What happened to him was horrible, fucking obviously. ANd there were parts of that story that had me thinking my life was as beating Nazz in the auditions of plays." He paused as he allowed his brow to crease further, "But who cares? That doesn't mean we have to forgive him."

Nat was not expecting that answer. He had thought he had finally won Rave over.

"Kevin may have had horrible shit happen to him but he has made himself no better than the assholes that did that shit to about what you are forgiving for a moment. If you let Kevin get off scott - fucking - free then you'll be supporting what happened to him. If you don't give him shit for doing one of the most horrible things, fucking ever, especially to you, you are saying that what happened to him didn't mean shit and should be forgiven."

"That was different!" Nat insisted, "That was repeated abuse by adults that knew exactly what they were doing and the consequences of it. This was Kev getting fucked the wrong way and acting out. He was a stupid fucking kid!"

Rave groaned in annoyance. "Yeah sure. Fine!" He took a deep breath and calmed himself down, "Look, as much as it makes me feel like I have suddenly coated my insides with a barrel of toxic waste, I... I love you."

Rave did not look pleased with himself for admitting that. Nat couldn't help finding it cute. "Ugh, fucking whatever. I love you alright, if you were a girl, I'd wanna have your babies and shit. Whatever, no big deal."

"Riiight, no big deaaaal." Nat sung, his mood suddenly skyrocketing upwards.

"Shut the fuck up." Nat did. "Look, what I'm saying is, if you forgive him I suppose I'm gonna have to as well."

Nat looked like a kid on Christmas, his eyes lit up like they were the fucking county fair at night. "I am so letting you top tonight!"

Rave shook his head, "I'm not gonna pretend that that isn't good news, it is. But we have more important things to talk about right now."

Nat nodded and gave Rave his full attention.

"Not everyone is me, we can't all put up with how insufferable you are and not everyone will still like Kevin after what he did." Nat felt saddened by the realisation that it was true and more so by the fact that he could understand it perfectly.

Rave's voice finished his sentence in deadpan, "So get used to it."

* * *

"We need to get him in bed." Pantene explained as she began lifting his torso and off-handedly asked for help which Ed happily provided. "But while we do does one of you plan to tell me what is going on?"

Edd was light and so he wasn't much trouble for the two of them to carry. Ed could have carried him on his own probably but Pantene wasn't really focusing on that kind of thing in the moment, she was listening as Kevin explained the situation to her.

"I can't believe nobody had told you yet." He said, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"It's fine. Everyone was in a hurry." Patene replied.

Kevin nodded and opened his mouth, about to explain the situation when he realised he had no idea what was going on himself. He felt something twist around in his stomach and his chest constrict in a strange, almost instinctive fear. He fought the equally instinctive desire to turn that fear into anger as he looked at Pantene helplessly. She got the memo.

"Try telling me the story from the beginning." Pantene prompted softly, quiet enough that nobody else heard her. Kevin was glad, he would have felt really uncomfortable if he had to be called out for his inability to perform a task he had volunteered for. Pantene knew that he just needed some time, so she waited.

The walk was silent for a moment. Eddy was seething next to Ed who seemed to either be oblivious to or ignoring the tension. Jim looked worried and walked hand in hand with Plank, who seemed to be comforting him. Kevin stood awkwardly, knowing Eddy was behind him and likely staring daggers into his back and Pantene needed an explanation.

"Can I tell you when we are alone and Edd is safe?" Kevin asked in a low voice. Pantene nodded though it didn't really matter if she agreed or not, Kevin wouldn't talk until he was alone, and asking someone else what had happened would make the whole thing worse, not to mention be a really dickish thing to do.

They carried Edd, who was asleep back to his room and tucked him into bed. Pantene and Kevin then left the room, leaving the others to watch over Edd, asleep.

The door shut with a soft creak and a click and then Kevin finally felt some kind of weight lift off of him, like he could breathe properly. He gave Pantene a concerned look, taking what felt like the deepest breath he ever had.

"Edd saw a video, of what I did to Nat." He breathed in the most vulnerable, defeated tone Pantene had ever heard.

Her eyes widened and she tried her hardest not to react in a bad way and stress Kevin out any more. But she didn't trust herself not to so she asked simply, "Tell me the whole story."

* * *

"Marion, I'm exhausted." Edd said as he and Marion walked up to a table.

"Me too Edd." He replied, panting. "That mountain was difficult to climb up."

"At least we did it!" Edd cheered happily, "Hard work always pays off."

Marion rolled his eyes and groaned sarcastically. "I do agree with you though." He said under his breath.

The table was long and covered with candles and fruits and meats. There was only one chair on each end longwise but the sides had at least ten seats each. It was not housed by anything, and the grass that it stood on looked long enough that it would tickle your legs if you sat on one of the chairs.

"Why put a table on top of a mountain?" Edd asked.

"Why not put a table atop a mountain?" It was not Marion's voice that answered. At the ther end of the table, a faceless figure sat with a golden crown atop his head. He wore white clothes striped with purple and he pushed a fork through a slice of meat and placing it into his non-existent mouth.

He looked, not like a person but a void, blacking out the shape of a person. Looking at the place where his face should be, felt like staring into a night sky without stars and Edd felt like he was being pulled in.

"Stop looking at him!" Marion hissed and Edd obeyed, shaking his head to break eye contact with the void-like creature.

He spoke again and Edd found himself questioning where the voice was coming from. "Have a seat boys." The chair on the opposite end of the table to the void man and the one directly in front of Edd and Marion pulled itself away from the table. "This is your seat."

Edd looked at it then back at the man, "There is only one."

"I am expecting more guests, Eddward. It is not my nor anyone elses problem if you have split yourself in two. They need their seats."

Edd gulped and Marion smirked as he pushed past Edd and sat on the chair, it got pulled into the table. Edd felt nervous and didn't know what to do with himself if he could not sit down or eat. He stared at the void again and this time, Marion wasn't there to help him pull his eyes away.

A longing and lamentation formed within the pit of his stomach and spread it's sickening tendrils all over Edd's body and he found the feeling oddly familiar. His body felt hot and cold and numb all at the same time and one name reverberated around in his head.  
"I miss Kevin." He said aloud, and the realisation of that seemed to strike a gong within him that causes vibrations to tremble all over him.

The king's face remained faceless, Marion remained seated and the other guessed slowly began taking their seats.

* * *

Eddy didn't look happy. "Yeah, well Kevin isn't here." He hissed.

Why would Edd be calling for Kevin in his sleep? Did Edd not remember what the asshole had done? It was fucking infuriating, especially when he was out with Pantene doing god knows what while Eddy was the one in the room, looking after Edd.

Eddy felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Ed. "Double dee loves Kevin, Eddy."

Eddy frowned, "Well he fucking shouldn't, not after what that asshole did."

"Sometimes love doesn't make sense." Planks voice spoke up, not unwantedly but definitely unusually, for Eddy. "Jim taught me, that love is about making mistakes together and learning from them."

"Jesus Christ, I didn't ask to get mushy love lectures from everyone." Eddy quipped and turned his head back to look at Edd sleeping.

Jim approached Eddy and sat down next to him, "I don't know if it's really okay to just let go of what Kevin did. Actually I don't think anyone does. Everyone is confused and angry and upset. It's normal." Eddy looked at Jim with an expression that communicated his happiness that Jim understood.

"You care about Edd a lot, and that's awesome." He continued. "But right now we need to worry about gettin Edd better, whatever way that is."

Eddy nodded. "Kevin is explaining what happened to Pantene who is a psychologist and can help us. He isn't abandoning Edd, he is fighting to keep him. We all are." Eddy swallowed in discomfort, "So can you forgive him, only for a little bit until Edd gets better?"

Eddy groaned but nodded and Jim beamed, jumping at him and pushing him to the ground in a hug. Eddy made a surprised yelp and Jim giggled.

"Dog pile!" Ed screamed with his own goofy laugh as he jumped on top of Jim.

Jim smiled, "I'm glad you two are his best friends." Jim said, "I hope it stays that way for a long time."

* * *

"It sounds to me like he really needed to protect himself." Pantene said as Kevin finished his story. "Do you know much about his childhood?"

Kevin shrugged, "I know a bit I think." He suddenly felt extremely guilty. "I don't think we ever really spoke about it.

"Okay." Pantene said, with no judgement in her voice. "Sometimes, when people have had traumatic experiences they create another personality for themselves that can do things they normally wouldn't be able to. It's a defense mechanism."

"Well if anyone would know about that, it would be Jim." Kevin said, "We should talk to him about it."

"Agreed."

* * *

Edd had taken a seat on the floor next to Marion. Some other guests had shown up but Edd had stopped paying attention to them. He noticed how strangely soft the long grass was as he ran his fingers through it. While he was sitting on the floor, he didn't feel unaccommodated.

"Marion," He said, grabbing the other boy's attention. "Who are you?"

Marion blinked, a piece of meat hanging out of his mouth. "What do you mean, who am I?"

"I mean, why do you exist. Who are you in terms of myself?"

Marion was happy that Edd was finally being open to the idea of him being a part of Edd. HE felt himself release a lot of pent up anger he had felt toward the boy. He even...smiled.

"Well I am your anger, irresponsibility and resentment." Marion cheered happily. "I exist because you punish yourself for acting like me normally, so when you hand control over to me, I can be angry and hurtful without you having to feel bad."

Marion sounded absolutely proud of his role and Edd couldn't help smiling too. "That explains a lot." He responded.

Marion suddenly looked in front of him and squinted a bit in concentration. "Look at that." He said pointing to where the king should be sitting. Edd got up to see that the void had began to turn into a white glow.

"You're going to wake up soon." Marion said.

Edd shot him a surprised look, "Me? Why not you?"

"You're needed back there more than I am." Marion replied, "Why do you think I sat down in the chair before you did?"

Something clicked in Edd's brain, "You can't get up can you?"

"I'm stuck here until the dinner is over."

Edd nodded, "Okay, how do I go back?"

"Touch him."

Edd began to creep toward the king that was now a blinding white glow. The people at the other seats of the table didn't seem to notice him as he moved past, they just continued devouring their food with no sense to slow down. They might choke!

Edd got closer and heard the king speak again. "Are you sure you're ready?" He asked.

"I think so."

"You will have to see all of your friends again, Jim and Kevin and you'll have to deal with life on your own again."

"He won't be alone!" Marion called from behind. "I'll be with him!"

Edd turned back to see Marion smirking. "Just talk to me if you need to tell anyone where to stick it."

Edd giggled and showed his gap-toothed smile that Kevin would love if he were to see it.

"I'm ready."

* * *

Edd shot into consciousness, the sudden onslaught of his senses, leaving him overwhelmed to the point he couldn't move. He was awake, he could feel the sheets of a bed underneath him and hear muffled voices speaking but he couldn't move or open his eyes.

Though the slop of mixing voices, Edd was finally able to identify Jim's. "That was the first time Marion had ever come out." He concluded.

"Thank you for that Jim." An unfamiliar voice said. "I think I have enough information to try and help him when he wakes up."

"More fucking waiting." Edd heard Eddy mutter under his breath. He was close! He felt like he was right next to him.

He tried with all his might and was able to move his arm, feeling his hand touch an arm. He sure hoped it was Eddy's. He opened his mouth and though his throat was dry he was able to croak "Eddy?"

Eddy jumped when he felt Edd's touch and heard his voice. The others were talking behind hem but he ignored them.

"Double d!" He said in hushed excitement.

"It is you." Edd said softly as his arms feebly wrapped around his best friend. "I have missed you."

A moment passed and Edd was able to open his eyes and see the image of a relieved looking Eddy. He felt he had a little more control over his body and tried to sit up. Noticing his trouble, Eddy helped him straight away until Edd was sitting up and yawning as he stretched his back.

"He's awake!" Eddy said. "Guys, he's awake!"

* * *

"Are you sure this is okay?" Ethan asked as he climbed into the passenger seat of a car.

Baldric smirked, "Even if it wasn't, you know what will happen if you don't."

Ethan swallowed. "Okay."

Baldric placed a pistol in his hand. "Now don't lose this, you're going to need it."

He put the key in the ignition and the car came to a coughing start. "I'm lucky your father was so rich and easy to blackmail." He said, "Otherwise Kevin might of had to wait another ten years before I could get my revenge on him."

* * *

So this was going to be the last chapter! But because of it's legth and the wait you guys have had on a new chapter I decided to split the first part off of it and leave the next (still really long part) for next update. It's nearly over! I'm so happy an excited and sad and nervous all at the same time!

Next time: The school is under attack! Baldric tries to get his revenge on Kevin. We hear the last unheard piece of Kevin's backstory and Edd and Marion finally find harmony with each other. Get ready for a bumpy ride in the last chapter, of Alter Waters!


	42. Chapter 42

**The Prestigious and Highly-Efficient Academy of Alter Waters  
Final Chapter**

Edd blinked. Eddy's excited cry had attracted the attention of everyone in the room and they had consequently crowded around him. Edd could name all but one, the woman that he had heard before. She was a lot older than the rest of his friends, looked perhaps mid thirties, early forties. She was giving him a curious yet caring look as were the rest of them.

Then Edd noticed Kevin. He was standing further back than the rest of them but his face was stricken with the same look of solicitude. Edd couldn't help to think, however, that the nervous look Kevin wore was spawned from more than just Edd's sudden consciousness.

"How are you feeling?" The women asked with a warm smile. Edd noticed that she was very beautiful when she smiled, the crows feet that deepened at the side of her eyes were endearing and her face looked kind and inviting.

"Who are you?" Edd asked forgetting the original question and unaware of just how rude it sounded until a hindsight he was granted later.

"My name is Pantene." She introduced herself in a casual tone. "I'm a psychologist, I am here to help you."

Hearing the word "psychologist" brought up bitter memories in Edd's mind like bile in his throat and he felt his muscles contract as he pulled himself away, shocked horror crossing his face. He could not deal with a psychologist now. He did not need to be judged and berated.

Edd wrapped himself up in a cocoon of blankets and tried to block the world out, holding his hands to his ears.

Jim gently pushed the others aside, whispering, "Let me talk to him."

Edd felt his weight create an indent in the bed, causing him to slide toward Jim slightly as he crawled onto the bed.

"Edd." He said in a soft voice as he lay a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It's okay."

"Get her out of here!" Edd yelled, trying to sound stern but his voice came out as a scared squeak.

"Edd not all psychologists are bad."

"How can you be so sure Jim!" Edd implored. "I have had experience with one who is to say that this one is not exactly the same!"

"Edd just because one person of a group does something doesn't mean all of them will." Jim reasoned, "You know that. You hate when people assume that you will act a certain way because you're gay so why should this be any different."

"I suppose that that is true, Jim.."

"So logic concludes that you have to test Pantene, to see if she is the same or not. Remember that statistics aren't evidence if only an individual is taken into consideration."

"Yes." Edd responded.

"And to top it off, you have your brother telling you that she is great. So don't be afraid. I'm sure you'll find you quite like her!"

Jim couldn't see it, but behind him everyone was giving him proud or impressed looks.

"O-ok." Edd replied nervously as his limbs slowly stretched out and he lifted the blanket off of his head and looked at Pantene. She looked just as nice and as warm. She hadn't judged him at all for hiding. Maybe... Jim was right.

"Hello." He said, unsure of himself. "My name is Eddward."

* * *

Ethan sat nervously as the car pulled with a low rumble into the academy's parking lot. His face was concealed by shadows as was half of his body, but from the small patch of his face illuminated by the moonlight, Ethan could deduce what the rest of it looked like: menacing. He looked as if he was about to kill a man, as Ethan had terrifyingly realised, he probably was.

He swallowed a thick lump in his throat, not knowing really how to act. Sure, he may have some resent toward Kevin, maybe a lot; maybe so much that he was willing to try and destroy his life by revealing one of his darkest secrets to an audience of strangers. But he didn't deserve to die. Nobody, in Ethans opinion, deserved to die.

When he really thought about it, he had done some pretty awful stuff too just because he was frustrated. He couldn't blame it all on his father or on Baldric's blackmail like he had done with so many other things. God, he wanted to expose Kevin at the time, he had more incentive than the family business's potential downfall. But he had done other things too, like hurt that boy Jim just because it was easy to do so. He was awful.

The cold metal of the gun shook in Ethan's trembling gun. Here he was, helping the very man that started it all.

Ethan opened his mouth to try and talk while Baldric just sat there. He wanted to ask, "What are you going to do?" but he knew that would be pointless. Perhaps if he asked anyway he could stall the man a bit, but what good would that way, he'd only be delaying the inevitable. He could not persuade the man against his intentions and he didn't have the strength to stop him himself, so his only choice left was to go along with him because this time he could blame the blackmail, it wasn't his father's wealth at stake this time-

"He'll be alive right, if I help you?"

Baldric looked at Ethan, the change in angle illuminating his entire face, "I am a man of my word, if nothing else."

- it was his life.

* * *

"I'm not saying that it is only your ass that is making me date you, but with an ass as perfect as yours, it would be hard to say no if asked on a date."

"You're just digging the hole deeper you fucking idiot." Rave quipped, annoyed. "Go fuck yourself."

Nat sighed. Why did Rave have to be so difficult sometimes? How did he even get himself into this mess. He opened his mouth to say something and inevitably dig his hole even deeper when his phone buzzed. He took it out, viewing the message he was surprised to find was from Ethan.

_tell everyone to be careful tonight and make sure kevin is awake_

Nat blinked at the message a couple of times, reading it over and over. His brows crossed in confusion.

"Rave, come here a second."

Rave grumbled, "I already told you you can fuck right off tonight! I know you'll miss my perfect ass but your hand will have to do just fine!"

"No, I'm not talking about that! Come look at this text."

Seeing that Nat was serious as he turned around, Rave walked over to see what he was fussing about. Nat passed the phone to him and Rave saw his boyfriends worried expression, feeling a his own seed of nervousness being sown in his stomach.

"What do you think it means?" Nat asked as Rave was halfway through reading it.

He finished it, read it over once more and then replied, "I have no idea, but it doesn't sound good."

"I'm going to go see Kev!"

Rave sighed, "Then I suppose I'm coming with you."

Nat opened his mouth to make a sexual reference out of what Rave had just said but one deadly look later and he shut up.

* * *

"Edd," Pantene said. "I would like to talk to you about your issues in-depth some time. You do not have to do it straight away, but the sooner you do, the better."

Edd nodded. "Do you mind if I say hello to everyone first?" He asked.

"Not at all." She replied, "I'll give you guys some privacy and wait out in the hallway." As she spoke, she rose from her kneeling position and left the room at which point Eddy and Ed started talking to him.

"Me and Eddy were so worried Double dee!" Ed yelled as he pulled Edd into a tight squeeze.

"Thank you very much for your concern." Edd replied and then paused.

The subject he wished to speak about seemed fairly... obfuscated and Edd felt a little trepid trying and approach it so soon. And yet he also felt he had to, before it became irrelevant. He took a deep breath.

"Forgive me, but I have forgotten. What was it that he did while I was... out?" He asked, feeling panic rise in him, even after he had said it.

Eddy looked a little worried himself and spoke first before Ed could say anything. "Don't worry about that Double d." His eyes trailed off to the door that Kevin had just walked out of. "You already have enough to worry about."

"Eddy I want to know!" Edd said, "If he - if I did anything regrettable, I'd like to apologize for it."

Eddy's face looked pained, "Just forget it."

That was the last thing Edd wanted! But he didn't press the issue any further, he didn't want to make anybody uncomfortable as he had seen he had done already. His two best friends had no idea what to say to him.

Edd said, "Thank you two for being here. It means a lot knowing I have friends like you." he said partly because he wanted to break the ice but mostly because it was true.

Eddy smiled, "No problem Double d!"

* * *

Kevin walked out to meet with Pantene. She gave him a surprised look. Which he returned with a saddened one.

"You aren't going to talk to him?" She asked.

"I don't want to make him uncomfortable when he just woke up." Kevin replied as he slumped against the wall with the lady that had become his friend.

"How would you know unless you tried?"

"Don't manipulate me into seeing him! I don't want to!" Kevin suddenly spat.

Pantene was quite a while, contemplating her next action before she sighed and said, "I wasn't trying to manipulate you Kevin, I was telling you the truth." Kevin gritted his teeth as she shot him a serious look, "This has nothing to do with him, does it?"

Pantene didn't need a response, Kevin expression gave it all away. "Tell me." She said.

"You already know why." Kevin said with contempt. "What, do you want to hear it from me or something fucking stupid like that?"

"No. I want you to hear it from yourself. Out loud."

Kevin blinked, his expectations shredded before his very eyes. Pantene didn't bother hiding her smirk and it somehow didn't motivate Kevin to do the exact opposite of what she asked. Actually, it made him want to do it more.

"I've started questioning whether or not I deserve to be forgiven or not." Kevin said.

"And that is very mature of you."

Kevin was confused, "Really?"

"Yes. The ability, or more accurately, the desire to put yourself in another's shoes isn't something someone your age normally has." Kevin nodded. "If you were in Edd's position, would you forgive a person like you?"

"As I am now, I definitely would. But if I grew up how Edd did, I'm not sure if I could."

Pantene looked very pleased, "So where does that leave you?"

"I don't know." Kevin said, feeling defeated. "... How about you?"

The older woman thought about it for a moment. "As I am now, I definitely would." She repeated, "I don't know Edd though. Assuming sexual assault is not something he is familiar with, I'd say I probably wouldn't forgive you."

Kevin looked even more defeated. His shoulders slumped and he might as well have written "I give up" in a black marker across his head.

"But if I were in your position I would try to change his mind."

"What are you talking about?" The younger boy asked as he straightened his back and looked her dead in the face.

"Do you think rape is bad Kevin?" She asked.

"Of course! I've experienced it first hand."

"You understand how much it affects people?"

"Yes!"

"If you were to do it, you'd be aware of the consequences. You'd know exactly how it would affect that person?"

"Why are you asking me this!?" Kevin screamed, tears threatening to spill out of him.

"Did you know all this when you did it?"

Kevin stopped. He had no idea what he was doing back then! "I just, I just wanted him to know what it felt like." Kevin's voice trembled. "I - I wanted him to feel sorry..."

Kevin stopped again. "No, I shouldn't be trying to justify it. But you're right. I had no idea what I was doing and why it was bad. I was just copying what had been done to me." Pantene nodded. "But that doesn't matter. I still did it." He sighed, "I just don't think Edd knows how sorry I am."

Pantene smiled, "Then tell him."

* * *

"It's great to have you back, Edd." Plank said and Edd smiled wide.

"I'm very happy to have you actually speak to me Plank!" he laughed as did Jim. "Thank you."

Plank smiled a little and then took a step back to let Jim speak with his brother.

"You really scared me a bit there." He said leaning in for a hug, "But I'm glad you're back."

"Me too." Edd replied and then continued in a lower voice, "Jim, where is Kevin?"

Jim sighed. "I think he's a little worried you might not want to see him."

When Edd thought about it, that seemed logical. He doubted the situation was actually explained to him and with the fragments of memory reminding him what he had done, it probably seemed like Edd really didn't want to see him at all. Damn it, Edd needed to apologize for that.

Just then, Kevin walked into the room. Jim turned to Edd with a smile, "Guess not." He said, and then added "good luck," as he herded the rest out of the room. Kevin looked around with a confused expression as Jim and the rest past him and exited the door behind him, leaving the two alone.

"Hello Kevin." Edd said nervously, and then time seemed to stop.

* * *

Baldric was full of anger. He didn't even care about what happened to him anymore, he was obsessed with revenge. The Thames kid, Ethan, followed behind him, looking at the gravel as it crunched beneath his feet. Stupid kid. The older male suspected he'd end up being dead weight in the end but that didn't really matter. He wanted to fuck with the kid as much as he could, The prince wasn't the only person he wanted revenge on.

After all, it was the Thames that suddenly destroyed all records of Baldric ever working with him as they willingly shipped him off to jail. He gritted his teeth.

Looking behind himself, he sighed, a smirk crossing his face. Ethan was cute, maybe he'd serve another purpose if he came out of this alive. It'd been a while, Baldric was hungry. He would have preferred someone younger, their asses were always tighter and they screams were louder but Ethan would have to do. He'd get satisfaction out of knowing just how much it would hurt both him and his father.

He opened the front door. His gun was hidden underneath a jacket that he was wearing. It was green and puffy, easy to conceal things in. He had forced Ethan to do the same earlier.

There was nobody in the front foyer, which was a relief for Ethan. If anybody saw them, the story was that Baldric was Ethan's body guard so they weren't in any real danger but he still felt safer knowing that nobody was there.

Baldric paused and turned to face Ethan, regarding him severely. "Show me where Kevin's bedroom is."

* * *

Nat and Rave quickly approached Edd's room, having already checked Kevin's room and finding it empty. They saw the congregation that had gathered there.

"Hey!" Jim said happily as he saw Nat approach.

"Hey. What's going on?" Nat asked, "Why are you all out here?"

"Kevin is talking to Edd." Jim said, "I wanted them to be alone."

Nat looked to Rave and exchanged a nervous glance. "I think you better look at this then." He said, "I'll show Kev afterwards."

* * *

"Edd..." Kevin said in a sore tone.

"Kevin before you say anything I want to apologize to you!" Edd blurted out.

Kevin looked appalled and Edd was very confused. "Apologize!? What the fuck for!?"

Relief flooded Edd as he responded. "Thank you for that, Kevin but I do need to apologize. I can't remember exactly what I did when I was in that state, but I do know that it wasn't very nice or respectable. I wanted to apologize if I hurt you in a-"

"Edd, shut the fuck up." Kevin said through gritted teeth. Edd was well and truly confused.

"I'm the one that should be apologizing! How can you even think of whether you hurt me or not when I've done all of this? It was my fault you were so angry, it was my fault it reached the point that you became that - I don't even know what that was."

Edd felt an unfamiliar emotion stir inside him.

"Fuck, listen. I'm the one that's sorry, about everything! About what I did to Nat and because I made you feel like all I wanted you for was sex."

Edd blinked, feeling his stomach jump into his throat. "I know it's probably selfish to ask for forgiveness and that I don't have a right to expect it. But please! I know it probably seemed that I only wanted sex, but I thought it was obvious, from the way I held you and the way I touched you. I asked your permission each time and made sure you were okay with everything we were doing, and maybe I wasn't the best boyfriend, maybe I fucked up a bunch of times - fuck!"

Kevin blinked back tears.

"I might have fucked up a bunch of times, but I wanted you to know how sorry I am and how I've changed now! I've been seeing a counsellor and trying to fix this. I never wanted you to get involved with it. So I tried to hide it from you, I guess you deserved to know from the beginning."

Edd opened his mouth to say something but shut it again as Kevin continued talking.

"But I thought through all this, at least you'd know - I thought you'd realise how much I love you!"

Edd tried opening his mouth again. And then, just to see if he could, he tried closing it and afterwards, he wasn't sure if he had achieved both or whether he had never opened his mouth in the first place. He felt heat creeping up his neck and flushing his cheeks and his palms were sweating. He was so caught up in the this sudden onslaught in fact, that he didn't even see when Kevin had began to lean in. He didn't really notice the hands on his skin lifting his gaze to meet Kevin's. And when he was kissed, he felt like he was submerged into a sea of green before his eyes slowly shut and his mouth was the only thing that was alive.

The clock kept ticking.

* * *

Jim hummed in thought as he played the message over in his head. "Do you think maybe Ethan is messing with us again?" he asked.

"I wouldn't fucking put it past him." Rave grumbled. "We don't even need to worry, he's just being an asshole."

Nat wasn't so sure. It was uncharacteristic of Ethan to do something like this. Before it had been different, this somehow seemed serious. He looked at Rave, Jim and the other faces staring at him. He supposed if they hadn't known Ethan as well as Nat had, they thought it seemed completely normal. He decided to message Ethan back.

_How do I know I can trust you?_

As the message sent, he closed the phone. "I've sent a message back asking him to prove that he isn't lying." Nat said, "But I've got a feeling he's telling the truth."

Jim nodded and said, "We'll wait for his response before we make any moves." He looked over at Plank and found himself falling into the other boys chest. "Things are so stressful." He whispered, so that only Plank would know he wasn't as composed on the inside as he appeared on the outside. "It's just one thing after another."

"I love you JIm." Was all Plank said as he held the younger boy closer and while Jim did appreciate the sentiment, it wasn't helping at all. He sighed, maybe this was something he'd have to deal with alone and maybe that was okay.

He looked back at Nat who had began discussing something with Rave and then Eddy who was talking to Ed. They were staying strong through this and they cared about Edd just as much, so Jim had to as well.

Suddenly Jim heard a voice behind him and jumped in fright. "You don't suppose Kevin is fucking up in there. I heard a bang."

Jim had almost forgot Pantene was there! He looked around and saw that Eddy had heard her comment and was now watching the door intently.

"I don't know." Jim said.

* * *

Edd cackled loudly as Kevin swore and held his head in pain. He had pulled away from their kiss and hit his head on the top bunk of Edd's bed.

"Kevin!" Edd giggled, "Who knew you had gotten so tall."

"Gee thanks." Kevin growled, "I'm glad you're finding this funny."

"Wonderful." Edd replied, still laughing. "Because I find it very funny!"

Kevin stopped forcing his eyes shut in pain to look at Edd and to see his face, happy and laughing. It was a nice sight to see it after a very long time. He felt happy.

Edd finally stopped laughing and saw Kevin staring at him with a smile as he caught his breath and then, Edd suddenly felt sad.

"Kevin, I accept your apology." He said and it made Kevin's expression shine even more. "But," it dropped, "While your kiss was very enthusiastic, I am unsure if I can return your feelings just yet."

"Oh..." Kevin replied, looking significantly more depressed.

"It's not that I don't like you!" Edd said quickly, "But please, everything is happening very fast for me and I am still trying to sort things out with myself." Edd paused, "I'd rather find happiness with myself before I search for it with another person."

Hearing Edd's elaborated explanation, Kevin was somehow happy. He didn't expect Edd to jump into his arms straight away, he was just glad Edd was willing to forgive him.

"That makes sense." Kevin said and his calm expression filled Edd with relief, "If you need help with that, I'm willing." He said and with that he left.

Edd replied, "Thank you Kevin." But he was already gone.

* * *

Nat was staring at his phone with a strange expression on his face. What did this mean? He had gotten his reply from Ethan but he was left even more confused and worried than when he had gotten the first one.

Then Kevin came through the door. Thank fuck.

"How'd it go?" Pantene asked and he shot her a smile, "I think I'm forgiven." He said and then spared a sombre glance over at Nat, "But there are some people left I think I still need to apologize properly to."

"Kevin." She said lovingly, "I'm proud of you."

For a split second, Kevin mistook Pantene for his mother, the memory of her filling him with a feeling of both pride and dread. He shook the feeling off and smiled at her, saying "Thanks" before he went over to talk to Nat.

"Nat, I have something I need to say to you." He said as he approached.

"Alright." Nat said, deciding that he ould show Kevin the message after he heard what he had to say.

Kevin gave Rave a glance which he replied with "I'm not leaving."

He sighed, "Fine, I just wanted to make sure, Nat, that you knew how sorry I am. For everything I've done to you and how it might have affected you and made you feel."

Nat was taken aback a bit but turned around to smile at Rave. Rave shot a look back that said, "Still don't care."

"Thanks Kev." Nat replied and then his face became stern again. "But I've got something to show you that's probably more important.

Kevin began to worry, "What is it?"

Nat handed him the phone with the message pulled up on it and Kevin began to read it. It was the first message telling Nat to make sure Kevin as awake.

"What's this about?" He asked irritably and so Nat found the message he had just received and showed him that.

_Remind Kevin about 11/6 and tell him that he's escaped._

Kevin dropped the phone, his face contorting into an expression filled with more fear than Nat had ever seen.

"No fucking way." He said under his breath.

"What is it?" Nat asked.

"Six years ago, on that date..." Kevin paused, "The man who spent years raping me, was prosecuted and sent to jail."

Nat gave him a shocked look. "He couldn't be, coming here could he?"

"I wouldn't put it past him!" Kevin gritted his teeth, "I'm going to go to my room, if he's coming here he'll look for me there." He continued as he ran off.

"Jesus christ think things through every once in awhile." Nat said under his breath. "Wait Kev!"

Rave groaned and reluctantly followed after.

Jim watched as they ran to leave. "You don't think this has to do with that message do you?" He asked and then sighed, "This joke's gone too far."

* * *

"He's not in his room." Baldric said as he and Ethan walked down the hall together, "Where else could he be?"

Ethan panicked, he didn't want Baldric to find anyone, but if he lied and lead him to places where Kevin wasn't, Baldric was going to get angrier and angrier and Ethan might end up being the one that is dead! He bit his lip, drawing blood.

"He might be with his boyfriend, Edd." He said softly.

Baldric smirked, "His boyfriend?" He laughed, "Maybe we won't end up killing Kevin tonight. We could have some fun."

Ethan shivered. Dear god, please tell him that Nat had gotten the messages and he and Kevin were figuring something out. He didn't want anyone to die. Ethan was acutely aware of the gun in his jacket. He didn't want to have to kill anyone.

But soon enough they were at Edd's room and there was more than enough targets standing outside of it. If Baldric wanted to, he could kill anyone. Ethan swallowed.

It was Jim and his friend Plank - the one that followed him around, he might have been Jim's bodyguard. Edd and Ed were there as well but they said a few final things to Jim before entering their room.

"Can you talk them into letting us past?" Baldric asked, spotting them as they spoke to each other.

"No. They won't take kindly to seeing me." Ethan replied, hoping it would dissuade the older man, but it didn't.

"Then there is only one thing to do."

A gun fired. It didn't hit anyone thank god, but it shocked Jim and Plank fair enough. Jim looked like he was about to have a mental breakdown but Plank sprung into action, throwing him through the door to Edd's room before looking for and finding the person who had ran full speed toward Baldric.

_Damn it, _Ethan thought. _Plank, don't be so stupid!_

He saw Baldric reloading his gun and knew that if he didn't intercept them, one of them would end up dead. Ethan stepped forward, gripping the barrel of his pistol in his hand he launched at Plank and hit him in the side of the head with the butt of his gun.

Plank was knocked sideways and fell onto the floor with a thud. Ethan would have loved to leave it at just that but he knew if he didn't knock Plank out completely, he'd end up being killed, so he hit him again on the floor. Blood seeped out from under PLanks head and Ethan prayed that he hadn't done the very thing he was trying to prevent.

He turned around to see a very impressed looking Baldrc. "I didn't know you had it in you kid. I could have handled it though." He moved forward.

_I wasn't doing it for you! _Ethan's mind hissed and he spared one last glance at Plank, relief filling him as he saw his chest moving up and down before he followed after Baldric again, he still had the others to protect.

* * *

"Guys someone out there has got a gun!" Jim had screamed as soon as Plank had thrown him into the room. He turned quickly and locked the door. Wait no, if he kept it locked, Plank wouldn't be able to get back in. Damn it! His fingers found the lock again and it clicked.

As the Ed's got up from their seated position, Jim pushed his back against the now unlocked door.

"What are you talking about Jim?" Edd asked urgently and Eddy and Ed were fast behind him.

"I mean -" Jim began but then the door moved behind him, someone was trying to get it. Jim screamed.

Edd furrowed his brows. "Who is it?" He called. There was no answer. "Jim open the door and le me have a word with whoever has scared you."

"No!" Jim implored, "He had a real gun Edd!"

Edd wasn't given the time to really consider the likelihood of someone wielding a real gun outside because soon the door opened and Jim slid forward, he was small and light weighted after all. Edd didn't recognize the man behind the door at all but he did recognize the gun in his hand. Jim was right!

In quick hindsight Edd scolded himself, of course Jim was right! He sprung into action, conjuring Marion in his brain. _I need help,_ he asked and soon his consciousness slipped into the backburner as one more aggressive took hold of the real.

"No problem." Marion replied out loud as he moved forward and slammed the door, catching the mans arm in the doorway as he did, it banging sound could be heard but Marion didn't think he had broken anything.

"Jim, get out of the way." He instructed and Jim did but quickly said, "Plank's out there! What if he's dead. I'm scared."

Eddy decided it was high-time he took action as he guided Jim into a standing position and walked him over to Ed to look after as he cooed soothing things into his ear. "Just stay here with Ed and let me and double d handle the guy outside. Plank will be fine." He said.

Marion opened the door a little more and the arm slipped out and an angry cry could be heard as he shut the door and locked it. Eddy walked up beside him. "What do you think we should do Double d?" He asked.

_Marion, I don't think there is enough time to wait around of Plank is out there. We need to make sure he stays safe. Do you think you and Eddy will be able to disarm him before he can do any damage?_

"Eddy d'you think you can help me save Plank from that dude with the gun?" Marion asked, Eddy raised an eyebrow. He sighed, "I'm not Edd, but don't worry, he want's me to be in-charge and he asked me to ask you that."

Eddy groaned loudly. "I don't get you anymore Double d! Can't you just pick one personality and stick with it?"

Edd growled within his own head. "Eddy we do not have the time for you to be doubting me now! Just listen to Marion and help save Plank!" This time he spoke it out loud.

Marion blinked within the same body. "What he said."

Eddy was, as anyone would be, completely confused by the display he had just seen his friend make but he Marion (or Edd?) was right. There was no time to waste. Instead of giving some kind of verbal affirmation, he decided to step forward and open the door, planning to charge into the hall and attack. A wrong move.

As the door opened he was met with the butt of a gun and as he fell to the floor, Ethan jumped on top of him and knocked him out in the same fashion he had Plank. Two down.

Ethan had a split second to analyse his surroundings before he did anything. Baldric was currently pacing the hall in anger and pain and Edd looked about ready to strangle him to death. He knew he could try reasoning with Edd, the boy responded well to logic but he'd have to make sure he pacified him first, and he got the door shut. He focused on that last listed, first.

The door clicked behind him and Ethan yelled "Wait!" As Edd approached him with a raised fist. "I can explain!"

"Well you better get to fucking explaining!" Marion hissed. "Both me and Edd aren't happy to see you."

Ethan recalled Edd's alternate personality and supposed that he was the dominant personality at the moment. Made sense, if Edd had known about what was going on, which Ethan's message should have hopefully educated him on, a more aggressive persona would be in order.

"Baldric is the one who want's to hurt you not me." He said quickly and then, sparing a glance at Eddy's unconscious body, he continued. "I've knocked him and Plank out so that he won't kill them. I know it might be harder to stop him with fewer people but I thought it would be safer than letting them act stupid and getting themselves killed.

_I better take over for this. _Edd said as his consciousness paced back into the forefront of his brain.

"First off, who is Baldric?" Edd asked.

Ethan cocked his head to the side. Maybe his message hadn't been passed on. Damn it! Ethan didn't have time to debate with himself whether sharing information that was meant to be a secret was in his best interests or not. He explained.

"Baldric is the man that raped and abused your former boyfriend, Prince Kevin when he was younger."

Edd gasped. "What does he want with us?"

Ethan ground his teeth. "I don't think I'll have the time to explain it here with him out there. If we hurry, we can get past him and I can explain it to you somewhere else."

Edd thought the information would be valuable, but he didn't want to leave Jim on his own. Edd glanced at the door. Baldric probably wouldn't be able to get through if it was locked, so just as long as Jim locked the door behind him and kept it locked, he'd be safe. Just before he was sold on the idea, he wanted to ask to questions.

"Where is Plank right now?" Edd asked.

"He's sitting unconscious in an empty closet nearby I put him in." Ethan replied truthfully.

"And how do I know that I can trust you?"

Ethan thought about Edd's question, he had no proof. How could he convince Edd that he wanted to help after all they had seen him done. Edd didn't understand why and Ethan didn't expect him too. But Ethan's father's life was riding on this as well and he needed as much help as he could to take Baldric down. If Baldric thought for a moment that Ethan had betrayed him, he'd send a text instructing a man, who was currently sitting with a gun aimed at Ethan's father's head, to shoot. He didn't have much time.

"Both of us are running out of time here." You're just going to have to trust me."

Edd grumbled but nodded. He turned to Ed, "Ed once I leave I want you to lock this door and make sure it doesn't open until I come back. I want Jim safe; look after Eddy too."

As he said it he realised that Ed and Jim both had frightened expressions on thier faces, Jim's quickly turning into one of objection. Seeing that Jim wanted to help just made Edd more urgently want to get outside. He knew he could count on Ed to keep them safe so he was glad when the tall boy responded.

"Aye aye captain!" He said, standing up tall.

Edd nodded, turned to face Ethan and then both of them were running at full speed. Edd ignored Jim's cries for him to come back.

* * *

"Someone's been in here." Kevin said his voice full of gall.

Nat sighed, "What now then?"

"Maybe we should go back and fill our friends in on what's going on, instead of running off and leaving them vulnerable." Rave puffed as he caught up with them.

Kevin looked at him and his eye's widened. Of course! How could he have been so stupid!

"Come on!" He yelled, quickly springing into a gallop back toward Edd's room, leaving Nat and Rave in his dust. What if he was too late? Kevin followed his normal route, running at full speed, but stopped as he caught something out of the corner of his eye. In the corridor to his left he saw Edd running and Ethan following him! What the fuck!?

He changed course and trotted after them but just as he was about to catch up, Baldric rounded the corner in hot pursuit. Fuck! Kevin's limbs felt slightly weak at the sight of that man again and he found himself stopping. He couldn't move. Why couldn't he move!? He just watched as Edd, Ethan and Baldric slipped out of view and he collapsed to the floor, feeling himself filling to the brim with poisonous memories.

* * *

Rave and Nat had lost Kevin.

"For fucks sakes, he needs to calm the fuck down." Rave said, annoyed as he and Nat walked toward Edd's room.

"Don't worry, we'll see him when we get to Edd's room."

Rave sighed but nodded in agreement as they slowly walked toward the door and tried to open it. It was locked. Nat and Raved shared a worried look and then tried knocking.

"Hey Edd! It's us." Nat said.

"Sorry Nat!" He heard Ed's voice call through the door. "Double dee told me not to unlock the door until he got back!"

Before Nat had time to reply a second voice came through the door. "Nat, Rave, is that you!?"

"Jim?"

"Thank god! I need your help. Ed won't let me out but there is a man here with a gun and he's dangerous." Jim's voice sounded weak and vulnerable. "I wanted to help but Edd locked me in here to keep me safe. I don't know where Plank is and now Edd has run off with Ethan."

Nat heard panic rising in Jim's tone, he had a lot of questions, too many to ask a boy under so much stress. He took the one thing he could deduce though and used it to figure out the rest: Baldric, Kevin's abuser was here in the Academy, and he wanted revenge.

"I'll look for Plank, and Edd." Nat promised and then asked, "Did Kev pass through here?"

Jim's voice sounded a little calmer when he responded, "I don't think he has." He said, glumly.

"Ok, don't worry." Nat said reassuringly, "I'll go look for Plank now, I'll be back soon I promise."

"Ok." Jim resigned and Nat and Rave left him behind.

Nat sighed. This day was becoming far too stressful. How did a man with a gun even get into an Academy like Alter Waters? Unless... no. Ethan hadn't been helping him had he? No that wouldn't make sense giving his warnings, that meant that, Ethan had been forced to help.

"Shit."

* * *

Edd and Ethan panted as they hid inside an empty classroom. Edd's sides ached from exertion and he puffed heavily.

"I don't think he followed us." Ethan said and then turned to Edd, "I'll keep this quick."

Edd nodded. He hoped that whatever information Ethan had, that it was worth it. "Hurry then."

"Okay. Back when Kevin's mum was alive, he had a servant named Baldric. The family had employed him to tend to all of Kevin's personal matters but they didn't know that he was a Thames spy."

Edd frowned. He didn't like the sound of this.

"More accurately, he was a Thames prisoner." Ethan continued, pausing as he tried to conjour the words for the next part of the story. "He was very troubled. A pedophile, willing to rape and abuse any child in order to feel the kind of pleasure he wanted to. According to my father's documents, he even enjoyed the violence as part of the 'fun'".

Edd seethed t himself and got hot. He had half a mind to go back out their and punch him in the face, Marion's side, but he had enough self-restraint to stay where he was and listen to the end of the story.

"Apparently he had originally been a servant under our house as well but he was caught trying to molest one of my brothers." Ethan's voice softened. "Unfortunately there wasn't enough evidence to criminalise him, my brother denied anything had ever happened ; he was ashamed. So my dad took punishment into his own hands and locked the guy in our basement."

"Eventually my father then set him free on some conditions. He'd work for Kevin's family and he'd molest the prince Kevin, in return, the Thames would provide him with a bypass from the law. Our family would protect him in caught. He got to indulge in his... preferences and my father got to get at the royal family."

Edd was appalled. "Why would he do that though!?"

"Kevin's father has two sisters. One of them is Nazz's mum and the other, is mine."

Edd gasped, "You're related to Kevin? I had no idea!"

"Neither did he." Ethan responded, "Or I for that matter, not until a little while ago."

"I was rummaging through some of my fathers information files and discovered that my mother, the King's youngest sibling, had been disowned. I don't know exactly why but ever since she had been cut from the family records and never mentioned. Kevin knew about his cousin Nazz but never knew about me."

"And so she wanted to take revenge on her brother and her family, by subjecting Kevin to, such monstrosities?"

"More than that, she wanted power. The plan was to destroy the family from the inside out." Ethan explained, "It might have been easier to have killed Kevin and his father in order to gain access to the throne but that would be too obvious, and the investigation that ensued would be sure to bring attention to anyone who might benefit from either one's death."

"So they planned to mess Kevin up, in the hopes that he'd become unfit to rule. If the abuse continued, it might have worked. But Kevin manage to put a stop to it. Althugh his father seemed adamant on ignoring the issue and pretending that Kevin wasn't getting abused, Kevin had different idea's. He solicited external help and managed to get Baldric arrested. My mother gave up on her plan soon after."

"So he's here for revenge." Edd said.

"Yeah... Somehow he was able to get some dirt on my family, something so big my father was scared enough that he gave into the blackmail, resulting in Baldric's bail being paid by him and eventually to this."

Edd was about to respond when Kevin entered the room, "Was it true?"

"You've been listening?"

Kevin nodded.

"Yeah, it's true."

* * *

"Okay, I'll help you stop him." Kevin said, still a little skeptical about helping Ethan. "But I need you to do something for me too."

"What is it?"

"I want you to find Nat and tell him about this. I ran off and left him and I want to make sure he's prepared if he runs into Baldric."

Ethan pondered it a moment and then said, "Alright, you guys stay here then." Ethan said as he scurried off and Kevin and Edd let out a puff of breath.

"Are you okay?" Kevin asked Edd and Edd nodded.

"I didn't realise you had such a horrible childhood." Edd said, then he pulled Kevin into a hug. "I'm so sorry for you."

"Don't be..." Kevin replied and then they stayed together for a moment, listening to each other's breathes, when a haunting voice run in Kevin's ears.

"Hello Kevin." Baldric smirked. Kevin and Edd jumped up from their seated position and shuffled backward.

Once his back hit the wall, Kevin paused. Hearing the voice for the first time in years. His stomach turned and the same poison pumped through his veins along with pure terror. He felt like he might vomit. Just from a voice.

Legs weak, Kevin stepped a little closer to Edd to protect him with his body. He wouldn't let Baldric hurt anyone here. He had already decided that, but then, Baldric pulled a gun out of his jacket and Kevin felt his entire body convulse with fear.

_Why are you so frightened? _He asked himself, wrought with anger.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Edd.

"Try and stay calm Kevin." He said softly as he eyed the gun in the mans hand as he slowly approached looking far too pleased with himself. "We _will_ be okay."

"It's been awhile since I've seen that angry face of yours." Baldric continued. "Get's me hard every time."

Kevin let out a disgruntled growl as his eyes travelled downward to see that the man wasn't lying. "You pig! I'll fucking kill you!"

_BANG._

Kevin felt his heart stop as he looked down to see the bullet hole in the ground beneath his feet.

"I dare you to try, bitch."

A flash entered Kevin's brain obscuring his vision for a moment as he remembered the term being used on him before. The ghost f the burn he had felt in his backside returned and he felt heat prickle under his eyes as he furrowed his brows in anger.

Behind him Edd was trying to speak with Marion.

_Marion, I think I may need some help again. _Edd asked the recesses of his mind but to his dismay, he heard no response.

The man got closer. "Damn it." He whispered under his breath but then he remembered, Marion was a part of him.

Baldric got closer. Lowering his hand and undoing his fly. Kevin's eyes widened and his brain told him to run, but every time he got a glimpse of the gun, he couldn't move.

The gun was placed on the side of Kevin's head. He felt himself choking but he swallowed and said, "You can kill me."

He had finally come to accept it. He'd die and then everything would be ok.

He heard the click of the gun as it loaded and closed his eyes.

Maybe it would have been better if he had been able to say goodbye to Edd properly. But he was also ok with this. He just hoped Edd had the common sense to run when he had the chance. _I'm doing this for you Edd, don't get yourself killed. _He thought.

Edd suddenly ran forward and punched Baldric in the face, making a loud crack as he fell to his knees. "Leave Kevin alone!" He roared, the ghost of Marion surging through him.

Baldric reached for the gun and grabbed it, about to fire it toward Edd when Edd lunged forward and kicked it out of his hand. He stepped down and follow through with the momentum to land another solid punch to Baldric's face, breaking his nose. Kevin stood there in awe.

"Fucking kid." He breathed between gritted teeth.

_Good job, Edd. _Edd heard in his mind as he stomped on the mans chest to keep him in place and somehow Edd knew that that was the last time he'd ever here Marion's voice.

Baldric saw that Edd looked distracted and his eyes darted to the right to see his gun was within reach. He stretched his arm out and touched the handle with his fingers dragging it toward him until he was able to grasp it firmly. The sound tipped Edd off as to what was happening but he was too late.

"No!" Kevin hissed and was about to move forward when there was another gunshot.

The world seemed to be moving in slow motion but this time it wasn't a good thing. The bullet had hit Edd in the arm, thank god, but Kevin's could see the boy he loved screaming in agony as blood splattered onto the wooden floor in front of him and he stepped back, allowing Baldric to jump to his feet.

He moved forward and kicked Edd in the shin, bringing the boy to his knees as he aimed the gun at his head. Kevin growled and jumped forward but stopped as Baldric's finger rested on the trigger.

"Tend to this and I won't kill him."Kevin looked down to see Baldric's filthy cock poking out of his pants.

"Fuck you!"

Baldric looked unimpressed. Panic flooded Kevin, he needed to do something. He needed to act! He couldn't let Edd die.

Kevin dropped to his knees. He was crying though he didn't really notice it. A younger version of himself screamed inside his mind, telling him to stop, fear gripping him and trying to pull him away from every movement he made toward the object of his torture for all those years. But he didn't stop. He wouldn't let Edd die.

His hand grabbed the organ and began to tremble. He didn't want to do this.

_Run! _A voice said. _Forget about Edd!_

But he couldn't. He had to do this.

He opened his mouth. It was the only way.

_WHACK!_

"I don't think I've ever enjoyed something more in my life!" Kevin heard Pantene's voice spit.

She had hit Baldric over the head with a chair, leaving him unconscious on the floor in front of Kevin. Her breathing was heavy and her expression was undeniably angry. It took him awhile to fully process what he had just seen, but when he did, all he could feel was relief and then worry again.

Kevin turned to Edd and hurried to look at his arm. He couldn't really see the wound as it was covered in too much blood. Not that he'd really be able to gauge how much damage it woud have done even if he could.

"Don't worry Kevin." He heard Edd's voice sooth. "Luckily, he wasn't very accurate. It was just a graze." He groaned. "That doesn't ease the pain any, but it does mean we don't have to worry about rushing me off to hospital.

Kevin heard fabric tearing behind him and saw that Pentene had taken her blouse off and torn a strip off of it - wow, she was strong.

"Stay still Edd." She said as she knelt down next to him. "This might hurt a little."

As she had stated, pain shot up Edd's arm as he felt the fabric being wrapped around his arm and pulled tight with a knot.

Kevin watched Pantene and felt his bottom lip tremble. She had saved him. Saved him from the monster he could never save himself from. When the tears came this time, he definitely felt them.

"There." She said, "That should keep it from bleeding out too much."

Edd had opened his mouth to thank her but Kevin beat her to it. Surprised when she heard his voice, Pantene turned to see him throwing himself at her and pulling her into a hug. She was taken aback but instinctively lifted her hands up to hug Kevin back. She felt something hot and wet on her shoulder and knew Kevin was hiding his crying from Edd.

"It's okay." She said as she heard the softest sound of Kevin crying into her, barely audible. "That bastard won't be getting up for a long time."

Kevin sniffed and lifted his head slightly to wipe his tears away from his eyes before looking at Edd. "I know you said you need some time to decide." He said, "But..."

"It's okay." Edd said, "I think I've decided."

Kevin beamed and laughed slightly hysterically before he leaned forward and kissed Edd, pushing him back onto the floor and lying on top of him.

Pantene started laughing, "Don't hurt his arm Kevin."

He broke away, his eyes landing on the arm. "Heh, sorry Edd."

* * *

Ethan had found Nat and Rave pretty easily and explained the situation to them, having them tag along under the assumption that extra help would be good.

"I knew you weren't bad Ethan!" Nat said happily as he followed his old friend with Rave in-toe. Rave was still unsure whether he should trust Ethan or not but followed anyway.

"They should be this way." He said as he opened the door to the classroom he had seen Baldric chase Edd and Kevin through.

They all walked through the door to find that Edd Kevin and now Pantene were sitting next to the body of Baldric.

Ethan was glad when he saw that Kevin and Edd were safe, but more so to see that Baldrc was out. He had to admit, he would have liked to have played a bigger part n his downfall, but it was okay. He had been stopped. However, he still had a matter to tend to.

He walked slowly over to the body of Baldric and found his phone in his pocket. He sent a message like he had seen Baldric do before to the person keeping his father captive, instructing the man (or woman) to let him go.

He let out a sigh and said to himself, "Dad is going to be safe now." Then he eyed the gun on the floor. "He's not dead is he?"

"No, he's just unco-" Edd started but stopped as he saw Ethan pick a gun up off of the floor.

A gunshot sounded and then Baldric would definitely not be getting up ever again.

* * *

_After the incident, Alter Waters had been in a state of panic. Many parents insisted that their children came home until they were sure the situation had been sorted out. THe police came to ask Edd and his friends some questions, at which point Ethan handed himself in for the murder of Baldric Everdeen. The rest never saw him again._

Edd and his friends were shocked, as they were sure to be for a long time and many of them returned home while the ruckus calmed down. Edd had accompanied Jim with Plank to his home and had spent some time with them there, Rave had spent time at Nat's house and Eddy and Ed went to Ed's house together. Kevin went home alone but he saw a lot of Pantene during that time.

Soon enough however, the investigation was over and with Ethan's statements, all the men involved in helping Baldric's escape plan was captured. But that was all Edd was told, he never found out what exactly Baldric's plan entailed, but it didn't matter. He had school work to do.

He fell back into his regular patterns and passed all of his subjects with flying colours. Life returned to normal. Despite the fact that that night was probably one of the most harrwing of his life, life soon faded back into the mundane; he usual. And soon, the night Alter Waters was attacked was behind everyone and it was the final night of their high school lives. At a school ball, five months later.

* * *

__"P-Plank.." Jim breathed as the much larger boy kissed and bit at his neck.

"Thank you for letting me do this Jim." PLank breathed back, his hands swooping under Jim's shirt.

"Plank, you don't have to thank me."

Plank pulled Jim's boxers down revealing something Plank had been waiting a very long time to see. "Yes I do. I love you."

"Geez, do you have to be so - OH MY GOD!"

"You look nice." Kevin stated as Edd got himself some punch.

Edd looked up and smiled as he saw Kevin in a suit. He always looked good in a suit. "So do you, Kevin. August, as always."

"Do you want to dance?" Kevin asked.

Edd looked to next to him at Eddy. "I think I am supposed to be Eddy's wigman.."

Eddy shook his head, "Just go. I'll have to build up the guts to ask her to dance myself."

Edd smiled, "Okay." and then he took Kevin's extended hand and was swept onto the dancefloor.

Eddy approached Nazz as she was sitting on a bench. "Hey, do ou maybe wanna dance with me... or som'n?"

Nazz smiled a dazzling smile, "I thought you'd never ask. But, no."

Eddy felt like the world was crashing around him.

"I actually want to get out of here." She continued, "Do you wanna come?"

"S-sure! Where to?"

Nazz looked off into the distance as she thought and then concluded, "Anywhere but here."

Eddy gave her a strange look. "This is the last night of my highschool life and I want to spend it with my friends - and with you." Eddy blushed, "but not in a stupid ball. That's so cliche and dumb!"

She smiled again and Eddy was ready to melt. "So round up the guys. Don't worry about them being there though. They're all gay - and I don't know how that happened - so you'll have me to yourself. But I want to be with them. Everyone together one last time."

Eddy nodded. "Ok!"

"I hate dancing." Rave complained as Nat moved back and forth.

"Pfft, you hate everything."

"I don't hate you." Rave said under his breath.

Nat pulled him closer with a smirk, "I don't hate you either."

They swayed a bit more.

"You know I've been thinking, I don't care that my parents are assholes and abandoned me."

"Wow that came out of nowhere. Are you sure? You're allowed to hate them, they are pretty much dickheads."

Rave was about to respond when he heard Nazz's voice. "I hate to interrupt your dancing Rave, but We're gonna blow this punch bowl. Wanna come?"

Rave turned to give her a sarcastic look, "Maybe, if you hadn't said something as stupid as "blow this punch bowl, I'd consider it."

Nazz laughed, "I thought it was fitting of our current situation. Come on, I've got a limo and everything."

Nat and Rave looked at each other, "Yeah fine."

"Good god!" Edd exclaimed as Jim walked toward him on wobbly legs and dishevelled hair with Plank looking smugly pleased with himself next to him. "You - you you didn't!"

"I'm the same age as you Edd, just let it go." Jim groaned and Edd couled help but giggle. Kevin cracked a smile.

Eddy ran up to them with Ed in his wake. "Come on guys. Nazz wants us to come with her and go somewhere."

"Very informative Eddy." Edd said sarcastically. "Thank you."

"Look she said that she just wanted to go somewhere, she didn't say where, and she wants everyone to come along."

"Come on double dee and Kevin and Jim and Plank! We will have fun!" Ed said happily.

Edd shrugged, "Would you like to come?" He asked regarding both Kevin and Jim.

It seemed everyone agreed.

As Rave sat next to Nat in the limo and looked around at everyone else he said, "I don't care because I have everyone hear. Even if I hate most of them, they are my new family." But he didn't think anyone heard him.

Jim climbed in next to him and gave Rave a hug just for the sake of it. "I hope you're having fun!" he said but his mind was elsewhere.

He had just given somebody his body for the first time and it felt so - good! He had got to thinking that maybe making yourself vulnerable isn't that bad. Maybe, with the right person it could even be good.

"You know I kinda miss Marion." Edd said to Kevin. "He ended up being a very nice and useful person - even if he was just a different version of myself."

Kevin laughed, "Only you, double dork."

Nat climbed in next, whispering, "I forgive you." as he climbed past Kevin. Kevin thought he might cry.

"Okay guys!" Nazz announced excitedly. "Let's hit the road!"

The car began to pull forward. Jim looked at Plank and nodded, mouthing, "Go for it."

He nodded back and said awkwardly. "Uh guys." Everyone looked at him. "I just wanted to say that you guys are the best friends I've ever had."

If anybody else had said it, it would have sounded cheesy and stupid, but from Plank, it meant the world to everyone.

"Dog pile!" Ed yelled.

"We can't do that in here Ed!"

"No, no - get off of me!"

"Hahaha"

"I can't breath!"

The limousine pulled out of the grounds and past them. Alter Waters was one of the most prestigious schools in world housing some of the most noble families, including royalty, and the most intellectual of minds and Edd was just impressed by it and the people in it, as the day he arrived.

**The End**

* * *

HOLY SHIT IT'S OVER. In all honesty I think it's a little rushed but I am at least happy with it for now, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it too. I realise that with the way it ended, it has definitely been left open to a sequel. If that does happen, it won't be soon. Sorry. What I will be doing next is writing a fanfic for a different fandom, you guys can vote if you want because I haven't decided which I want to perue first.

1) A Welcome to Nightvale fanfic, with OC characters, living out a story inspired by or based upon the events Cecil describes in his broadcast. Cecil and Carlos may or may not make an apperence but it will feature the radio show, the main character will be an avid listener.

2) A JeanMarco made purely for the purposes of happiness. I want to write a fic that can make me forget all the sad feelings I feel when I think of them.

But first and foremost I need to edit this fic, so I will be taking some time to do that. Anyway, I love you all and I hope you enjoyed the story.


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